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RULES

THE SOCIETY OF

ST. VmCENT DE PAUL,

AND

GBANTED BY THE SOYEREIGN PONTIFPS

BOTH TO THE MEMBERS AND TO THE BENEFACTORS OF THIt

SOCIETY.

WITH THE EXPLANATORY NOTES ANNEXED.

Snm t|e JBanual of fttt ^otittn ot J5t« Tinttnt )e $attl.

NEW YORK:
PEDJTED rOE THE OOTINOIL OF NEW TOEK,

BY D. dE J. BADUER & CO., 81 BARCLAY STREET.

1869

CONTENTS.

ETJLES OF THE SOOIETr ST. YINCENT DE PAUL.

FAGl

Briefs of the Homan Pontiffs 8

Letter from Archbishop Hughes 8

Rules of the Society 9

Regulations for the Upper Council 43

Prayers 60

Indulgences 69

EXPLANATOET HOTES.

PAGB

Briefs of His Holiness v

Introduction 5

Explanatory Notes 7

Chapter I. The Conferences 14

§ I. Organization of Conferences 18

§ u. Order of the Meetings 26

" n. Of Particular Councils 48

" m. The Council General 52

IV. General Meetings 59

V. The Different Members of the Society. . . 64

VI. The Festivals of the Society 70

Regulations for the Upper Councils 73

Index 82

«
it

THE BRIEF OP HIS HOLINESS POPE GREGORY XVI. TO
THE COUNCIL GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OF BAINT
VINCENT DE PAUL.

GREGORY XVL, POPE.
Fcnr the perpetual remembrance of the thing.

It becometh the Roman Pontiff to enrich, in a special
manner, with the heavenly treasures of the Church, those
pious Societies that labor with all care and zeal in the
performance of works of Christian charity. "Wherefore,
having been earnestly solicited by the President and
Council General of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul,
which was originally established in Paris, to grant to
that Society some indulgences, as well plenary as partial.
We have thought fit that their pious supplication should
be freely acceded to.

"Wherefore, "We mercifully grant, in the Lord, a plen
ary indulgence to all and every the members, whether
attached to the now instituted Council General at Paris,
of the said Society, or to particular Councils of Paris and
other cities, who, being truly penitent, shall have con-
fessed their sins and received the Holy Communion, pro-
vided that they shall have been present at all, or at three
out of the four meetings of the Council which are holden
in the month.

Further, to all active members, as they are termed, of
the Society itself, and also the members of the Councils,
and others of whom naention has been above made, who

4 BRIEF OP POPE GREGORY XVI.

may have previously obtained the aforesaid indulgence,
We in like manner grant a plenary indulgence, provided
that they shall have been present at all, or at three out
of the four meetings or conferences holden in the month,
and that being truly penitent, and having confessed their
sins, they shall have received the Most Holy Sacrament
of the Eucharist. Moreover, We likewise grant the same
plenary indulgence, to be gained by all persons to be ad-
mitted into the aforesaid Society on that day, on which,
being in like manner truly penitent, and having confessed
their sins, and having received the Holy Communion,
they shall have been received into the different active
grades of aspirant member, ordinary member, member
of a particular Council, or of the Council General. More-
over, We likewise grant a plenary indulgence to all mem-
bers, as well active as honorary, of the said Society, who,
on the feasts of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, and of Saint Vincent de Paul, and on the
second Sunday after Easter, which is the anniversary of
the translation of the relics of the same Saint Vincent ;
as also on the Monday after the first Sunday of Lent, be-
ing tr^ly penitent and having confessed their sins, shall
have received the Holy Communion at the Mass which
is celebrated on these aforesaid days for the Society, and
shall have been present at the general meeting which is
holden at these seasons. And also, in like manner. We
gi^nt a plenary indulgence to all the members and bene-
factors of the Society, who, at the hour of death, being
truly penitent, and having confessed their sins, or if un-
able to do so, being at least contrite, shall have devoutly
invoked the name Jesus, with their lips, if able, but if
not, with their heart, and with a patient and ready spirit
shall have received death from the hand of the Lord as
the wages of sin. Mor ^over, We remit, according to the

BRIEF OF POPE GREGORY XVI. 5

usual foiin of the Church, eeven years, and as many
quarantines, of the penanees enjoined on them, or other-
wise in any way due by them, to all active members ol
the same Society, as often as, at least with a contrite
heart, they shall have visited any Conference, any poor
family, or the schools and workshops of the poor, or shall
have performed any other good work, according to the
spirit of the said Society; which partial indulgence the
active members of the aforesaid Society can each gain,
as often as with a contrite heart they shall attend at the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered up for the soul of any
member, and as often as they shall have accompanied
the bodies of poor persons to ecclesiastical sepulture. All
and singular these indulgences and relaxations of pen-
ances We allow to be applicable, by way of suffrage, to
the souls of the faithful of Christ, who shall have de-
parted life united in charity with God. Finally, by the
same, Our Apostolic authority. We give and grant all and
each of the aforesaid indulgences to all other Councils
and Conferences of the same Societ}", which, with the ap-
probation of the Council General, are instituted, whether
by the Council General itself or by the particular Coun-
cils of cities or of provinces already instituted by the
Council General; also to members who live in places
wherein a Conference is not yet established, if in such
places they shall have performed, as far as they are able,
the usual works, and shall have complied with the other
conditions already prescribed. Our rule, and the rule
of the Apostolical Chancery, of not granting indulgences
ad instaVy and the other Apostolical constitutions and or-
dinances, and all other things to the contrary hereof,
notwithstanding. And We also wish that transcripts or
copies, even printed ones, of these letters, bearing the
ngnature of a person >f ecclesiastical dignity, may, more-

^^t^^^^-l-^

RARVARO C9LL£6E Lianuf

This little book contains tlie Briefs of Pope Gregory
XVI., the Rules of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,
with the reflections which precede them, and which
should never be separated from them. It terminates
with a notice of the Indulgences granted by the sove-
reign Pontiffs, Gregory XVL and Pius DC, both to th«
members and to the benefactors of the Society.

THE BRIEF OP HIS HOLINESS POPE GBEGORT XVI. TO
THE COUNCIL GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OF BAINT
VINOENT DE PAUL.

GREGORY XVL, POPE.
For the perpetual remembrance of the thing.

It becometh the Roman Pontiff to enrich, in a special
manner, with the heavenly treasures of the Church, those
pious Societies that labor with all care and zeal in the
performance of works of Christian charity. "Wherefore,
having been earnestly solicited by the President and
Council General of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul,
which was originally established in Paris, to grant to
that Society some indulgences, as well plenary as partial,
We have thought fit that their pious supplication should
be freely acceded to.

Wherefore, We mercifully grant, in the Lord, a plen
ary indulgence to all and every the members, whether
attached to the now instituted Council General at Paris,
of the said Society, or to particular Councils of Paris and
other cities, who, being truly penitent, shall have con-
fessed their sins and received the Holy Communion, pro-
vided that they shall have been present at all, or at three
out of the four meetings of the Council which are holden
in the month.

Further, to all active members, as they are termed, of
the Society itself, and also the members of the Councils,
and others of whom mention has been above made, who

4 BRIEF OP POPE GREGORY XVI.

may have previously obtained the aforesaid indulgence,
We in like manner grant a plenary indulgence, provided
that they shall have been present at all, or at three out
of the four meetings or conferences holden in the month,
and that being truly penitent, and having confessed their
sins, they shall have received the Most Holy Sacrament
of the Eucharist. Moreover, "VVe likewise grant the same
plenary indulgence, to be gained by all persons to be ad-
mitted into the aforesaid Society on that day, on which,
being in like manner truly penitent, and having confessed
their sins, and having received the Holy Communion,
they shall have been received into the different active
grades of aspirant member, ordinary member, member
of a particular Council, or of the Council General. More-
over, "We likewise grant a plenary indulgence to all mem-
bers, as well active as honorary, of the said Society, who,
on the feasts of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, and of Saint Vincent de Paul, and on the
second Sunday after Easter, which is the anniversary of
the translation of the relics of the same Saint Vincent ;
as also on the Monday after the first Sunday of Lent, be-
ing truly penitent and having confessed their sins, shall
have received the Holy Communion at the Mass which
is celebrated on these aforesaid days for the Society, and
shall have been present at the general meeting which is
holden at these seasons. And also, in like manner. We
gi^ant a plenary indulgence to all the members and bene-
foctors of the Society, who, at the hour of death, being
truly penitent, and having confessed their sins, or if un-
able to do so, being at least contrite, shall have devoutly
invoked the name Jesus, with their lips, if able, but if
not, with their heart, and with a patient and ready spirit
shall have received death from the hand of the Lord as
the wages of sin. Mor ^over, We remit, according to the

BRIEF OF POPE GREGORY XVI. 5

usual forai of the Church, eeven years, and as many
quarantines, of the penanees enjoined on them, or other-
wise in any way due by them, to all active members oi
the same Society, as often as, at least with a contiite
heart, they shall have visited any Conference, any poor
family, or the schools and workshops of the poor, or shall
have performed any other good work, according to the
spirit of the said Society; which partial indulgence the
active members of the aforesaid Society can each gain,
as often as with a contrite heart they shall attend at the
Eloly Sacrifice of the Mass offered up for the soul of any
member, and as often as they shall have accompanied
the bodies of poor persons to ecclesiastical sepulture. All
and singular these indulgences and relaxations of pen-
ances We allow to be applicable, by way of suffrage, to
the souls of the faithful of Christ, who shall have de-
parted life united in charity with God. Finally, by the
same, Our Apostolic authority. We give and grant all and
each of the aforesaid indulgences to all other Councils
and Conferences of the same Societ}^ which, with the ap-
probation of the Council General, are instituted, whether
by the Council General itself or by the particular Coun-
cils of cities or of provinces already instituted by the
Council General; also to members who live in places
wherein a Conference is not yet established, if in such
places they shall have performed, as far as they are able,
the usual works, and shall have complied with the other
conditions already prescribed. Our rule, and the rule
of the Apostolical Chancery, of not granting indulgences
ad instaVj and the other Apostolical constitutions and or-
dinances, and all other things to the contrary hereof,
notwithstanding. And We also wish that transcripts or
copies, even printed ones, of these letters, bearing the
rignature of a person >f ecclesiastical dignity, may, more-

6 BRIEF OF POPE GREGORY XVI.

over, receive the same credit as would be given to these
letters, were they produced and shown.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, under the Fisherman's
Ring, the 10th day of January, 1845, in the fourteenth
year of our Pontificate.

(Place of X the Seal.)

A. Card. Lambruschini.

Approved as a faithful translation of the Brief of his
Holiness, Gregory XVI.— New York, August 11, 1848.

>J< JOHN, Bishop of New York.
{Seal.) «____

FURTHER BRIEF OF HIS HOLINESS POPE GREGORY XVI.
TO THE COUNCIL GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OP ST.
VINCENT DE PAUL.

GREGORY XVI., POPE.

For the peiyetual re^nembrance of the thing,

"Whereas the Society instituted under the auspices and
name of St. Vincent de Paul, and devoted to the perform-
ance of works of Christian charity, to Our knowledge con-
duces in an eminent degree to the good of religion and
the advantage of the faithful ; "We, in order that it may
from day to day receive fresh increase, have thought fit
that out of the celestial treasures of the Church all those
should be enriched who shall have contributed their ex-
ertions and means in aid of this Society, so that this their
zeal may become more and more ardent by the holding
forth of spiritual favors. Wherefore, "We mercifully grant,
in the Lord, a plenary indulgence once in the month, to
all and singular the faithful of Christ of either sex, who
being truly penitent and having confessed their sins, and
received the Holy Communion, transmit a fixed and con-
stant eleemosynary donation to the Council General

BRIEF OF POPB GREGORY XVI. 7

Moreover, We grant an indulgence of seven years, and
of as many quarantines once in the month, to all Christ'e
faithful of either sex, who shall transmit a fixed and con-
stant eleemosynary donation of this kind to the particular
Councils of provinces or cities instituted by the Council
General. Moreover, We grant an indulgence of one year,
to be gained likewise, once in the month, to Christ's faith-
ful of either sex, who by writing, or in any other way,
engage to contribute any fixed and constant eleemosy-
nary donation to Conferences approved of either by the
Council General, or by the particular Councils delegated
for this purpose. Finally, We grant an indulgence of
seven years, and of as many quarantines, to all and sin-
gular the faithful of Christ of either sex, to be gained
once in the month on those days, to wit, on which they
shall have collected by questing, a pecuniary alms for
tlie Council General, or particular Councils. Our rule,
and the rule of the Apostolical Chancery, of not granting
indulgences ad instar, and the other Apostolical constitu-
tions and ordinances, and all other things to the contrary
hereof, notwithstanding. And We also wish that tran-
scripts or copies, even printed ones, of these letters, bear-
ing the signature of a person of ecclesiastical dignity,
may, moreover, receive the same credit as would be
given to these letters, were they produced and shown.

Given at Rome, at St Mary Major's, under the Fisher-
man's Ring, the 12th August, 1845, in the fifteenth year
of our Pontificate.

(Place of X the Seal.)

A. Card. Lambruschixi, Bishop of Sabine.

Approved as a faithful translation of the Brief of his
Holiness, Gregory XVI.— New York, August 11, 1848.

^ JOHK, Bishop of New York.
(Seal)

LETTER EBOU ARCHBISHOP HUOHES.

nt Right Rev, Siskop of iWui York hat been pltand
io convey his approbatinn of the Socitty in the jUlomng
Utter :

It is with einoere pleasure, that we give our hearty
approval to the Society of St. Vinceat d« Paul, estab-
lished ia New York, wliich oannat fail to be of the
greatest advantage to those wlio compose it as mem-
bers, and to the community at large.

This Society has been most solemnly approved by the
Holy See, and many epiritusl privileges conferred by our
Holy Father upon its membera.

It ia now widely extended throughont Catholic Europe,
and its progress has been marked by many blessiogs, o(
which rich and poor have been equally partakers. Wa
thould be rejoiced to see it eitended to every parish and
congregation in the diocese.

Given at New York, thU lltli day of August, A. D,
1848.

^ JOHN, Bisbop of Hew York.

RULES

^t ^stMu at St. Wmtvi h '§ml

First published at Faris^ in December^ 1885,

Wk are now entering upon that formal organ-
ization we have long wished for. It has been
delayed, for our association has already existed
some years. But were we not bound to ascer-
tain that God wished that it should continue, be-
fore determining the form which it should as-
sume 1 Was it not necessary, that it should be
well established, — that it should know what
Heaven required of it, — that it should judge
what it could do by what it had done, before
framing its rules and prescribing its duties'?
Now we have only to embody, as it were, in
Regulations, usages already followed and loved ;

10 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF

—and this is a guarantee that our rules will be
well received by all, and will not be forgotten.

Our little association for a time bore the name
of Conference of Cktirity of St. Vincent de Paul^
because this was the name under which it was
commenced, and in order that we might not for-
get the circumstances of its origin, which no one
in particular can attribute to himself. Some
among us, whilst devoting ourselves to the de-
fence of the dogmas of religion, in the then very-
stormy discussions of literary societies, thought
that it was not enough to speak; but that we
should also act : hence came the works of char-
ity to which they devoted themselves — ^hence the
Conference of Charity,

Having become numerous, and being obliged
to divide into sections, — moreover, many of us
desiring to meet together- in other towns, where
we were to reside thenceforth, the name o^ Con-
ference has continued to be applied to each of
those sections, all of which are comprised under
the common denomination of the Society of St.
Vincent de Paul.

We must ever avoid giving to our undertaking
the name of any particular member, whatever
may have been his individual services, or of the
places in which we assemble, for fear we may ao-

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 11

custom ourselves to look upon it as the work of
man. Christian works belong to God alone, the
sole Author of all good.

Our association originated in religious motives :
we must, therefore, look for the rules of our con-
duct nowhere but in the spirit of religion — in the
examples and words of our Saviour — in the in-
structions of the Church — ^in the lives of the
Saints. Such are the reasons why we are placed
under the patronage of the Blessed and Immac-
ulate Virgin and of St. Vincent de Paul, to whom
we owe peculiar devotion, whose footsteps we
must sedulously endeavor to follow.

It pleased Jesus Christ first to practise that
which afterwards He was to teach mankind;
eoepit facere et docere. We are desirous of imi-
tating that Divine Model so far as our weakness
will allow.

The object, then, of this Confer enee is, firstly,
to sustain its members, by mutual example, in
the practice of a Christian life ; secondly, to visit
the poor at their dwellings^ to carry them suc-
cor in kind, to afford them, also, religious conso-
lations, remembering these words of our Master :
" Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every
word that proceedeth from the mouth of God ;"
(Deut. viii. 3 ; Matt. iv. 4.) thirdly, to apply our-

12 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF

selves, according to our abilities and the time
which we can spare, to the elementary and Chris-
tian instruction of poor children, whether free
or imprisoned, seeing that what we may do for
the least among our brethren, Jesus Christ has
promised that He will accept as done to Him-
self; fourthly, to distribute moral and religious
books; fifthly, to be willing to undertake any
other sort of charitable work to which our re-
sources may be adequate, and which will not op-
pose the chief end of the Society, and for which
it may demand our co-operation upon the propo-
sition o£ its directing members.

This Society of Charity is composed of active
members, and of others who cannot devote them-
selves to the works in which it is engaged. The
members of this latter class assist the former by
their efforts and by their influence : by their offer-
ings and their prayers they supply the absence
of that actual co-operation which they are neces-
sitated to forego.

The Society should endeavor to attain and
practise every virtue ; there are, however, some
virtues which are more essentially necessary to
its members, for the due discharge of £he char-
itable duties to which they devote themselves.
Among these are self-denial. Christian prudence,

ST. VINCENT DK PAUL. 13

the active love of our neighbor, zeal for the sal-
vation of souls, meekness in heart and word, and
above all, the spirit of fraternal charity. They
ought, therefore, to meditate on the maxims of
the Gospel which recommend these virtues, and
should make them the rule of their lives. It is
for this purpose that those maxims are here de-
tailed, and a development given to them applica
ble to our work.

1. By self-denial y{Q should understand the sur-
rendermg of our own opinion, without which sur-
render no association is durable. The man who is
in love with his own ideas will disdain the opin-
ion of others ; the contempt of his brothers, far
from uniting, engenders division. We should,
therefore, willingly acquiesce in the judgment of
others, and should not feel annoyed if our own
propositions be not accepted by them. Our mu-
tual good-will should proceed from the heart, and
should be without bounds. We should equally
avoid all spirit of contention with the poor, and
we must not consider ourselves offended if they
should not yield implicitly to our advice; we
must not attempt to make them receive it as
from authority and by command — we should
content ourselves with proposing what is good,
and zealously exhorting to its practice, leaving
2

14 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OV

to God the care of making our words bear fruity
if such should be His will.

2, Christian Prudence, — Among the poor,
there are some who have the happiness to be
good Christians ; others are careless, and some,
perhaps, impious. We ought not to repulse
them, even in this latter case; our language
ought to be applicable to the dispositions of
those whom we address, remembering that Jesus
Christ recommended His disciples to unite the
wisdom of the serpent to the simplicity of the
dove. Bounty opens the heart to confidence, and
it is by charitable gifts that we prepare the way
for spiritual benefits. St. Vincent de Paul often
recommended not to try the latter until the
former had been freely bestowed. Now the
poor are of either sex. As the Society of Char-
ity is chiefly composed of young men, they should
never forget that their mission is not to such of
the other sex as are young, lest they should meet
with their own destruction, whilst desiring to
promote the salvation of others ; moreover, it is
necessary to shun even the appearance of evil,
and all which might scandalize the weak.

3. Love of our neighbor, and zeal for the sal-
vation of souls, — ^This is the very essence of the
Conference of Charity, He whD is not animated

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 15

by this twofold sentiment, which with fche Chris-
tian forms but one feeling, shculd not become a
member. We must never murmur at the labors,
the fatigues, nor even at the repulses to which the
exercise of charity may subject us. We expose
ourselves to all these things, in associating for
the service of our neighbor. Neither should
we regret the pecuniary sacrifi(ies that we may
make to our work, esteeming ourselves happy in
offering something to Jesus Christ in the persons
of the poor, and in being able to carry some re-
lief to His suffering members. We should make
these sacrifices with an entire absence of personal
feeling, and not conceive that the poor whom we
have adopted, should be more privileged than
those adopted by others, merely because we may
presume that we have contributed to the common
fund a larger proportion than they.

4. Our Divine Model was meek and humble
of heart ; " Learn of Me, because I am meek and
humble of heart," St. Matt. xi. 29 ; and our pat-
ron, St. Vincent de Paul, prized nothing so high-
ly as meekness and kumiUty^ which are insepara-
ble. We should be kind and obliging to one
another, and we should be equally so to the poor
whom we visit. We can have no power over
the mind, except through meekness. " Blessed are

16 RULES OF THE SOCXETF OF

the meek for they shall possess the land." St.
Matt. V. 4. The spirit of humility and meekness
is more particularly necessary in giving advice,
and in exhorting others to fly from evil and to
practise virtue. Without gentleness, zeal for the
salvation of souls is a ship without sails.

5. It is the spirit of brotherly love which will
insure our Society of Charity becoming beneficial
to its members and edifying to others. Faith-
ful to the maxims of our divine Master and His
beloved disciple, let us love one another. We
should love one another now and ever, far and
near, from one Conference to another, from town
to town, from clime to clime. This love will
render us able to bear with one another's failings.
We shall never give credence to an evil report
of a brother but with sorrow ; and when we can-
not reject the evidence of facts, even then, in or-
der to conform ourselves to the will of Him who
has confided to each one the care of his neighbor.
" To every one hath God given commandment con-
cerning his neighbor," Eccles. xvii. 12; then,
in a spirit of charity, and with all the earnest-
ness of sincere friendship, we will ourselves coun-
sel our falling, or fallen brother, or cause advice
to be conveyed to him ; wo will endeavor to
strengthen him in virtue, or raise him from his

ST. VINCENT DB PAUL. 11

fell. If any member of the Conference should
become ill, his brethren will visit him, will tend
him, if it be necessary, will assuage the irksomc-
ness of his convalescence ; if his malady be dajn-
gerous, they should take the utmost care that he
receive the Sacraments. In a word, the troubles
and the joys of each of us shall be shared by all,
in accordance with the advice of the apostle, who
tells us to weep with those who weep, and rejoice
with those who rejoice.

The unity of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
will be cited as a model of Christian friendship,
of a friendship stronger than death, for we will
often remember in our prayers to God the broth-
ers who have been taken from us.

This sentiment, which, with us, will make of
all our hearts one heart, of all our souls one soul,
— Cor unum, et anima una, — will endear to each
of us our fraternal association ; we shall bless it
for the good, however trivial, it enables us to
perform. We shall love this brotherhood with
tenderness, and even with a greater affection than
any other similar work ; not because of its excel-
lence, or from pride, but as dutiful children love
a poor and deformed mother more than all other
women, however remarkable they may be for
their riches and for their attractions.
2*

18 RULES OF THE SOCIErY OF

Some other consequences of the foregoing max*
ims: —

One of the vices most opposed to charity and
.Christian humility is envy. We should avoid it,
not only amongst ourselves, but also in reference
to other societies, whose object, like our own, is
to succor our neighbor. We should ardently de-
sire, and behold with pleasure, their prosperity,
and. the good they accomplish ; we should rejoice
if fresh brethren join us, if existing societies
should unite themselves to ours, since greater good
would spring from the union ; but we should see
without jealousy our Christian friends devoting
themselves to other good works, and other socie-
ties doing God's work in their own manner, and
independently of us. We should have but one
desire, — to see every one devote himself to do
good, and to succor those who suffer : Quis tri-
huat ut omnis populus prophetet? Nay more,
although we may be fonder of c»ur little associa-
tion, we will always consider it as less excellent
than others ; we will regard it, as in fact it is,
but as a work formed nobody knows by whom,
nor how, — born yesterday, and which may die
to-morrow. The same spirit should ever induce
us individually to wish the offices of the Society
confided to others rather than to ourselves.

BT. VINCENT DB PAJL. 19

We should always remember that we are only
laymen, and for the most part young men, with-
out any mission to teach others. For this, and
every other reason, we will pay the utmost def
erence to the counsels which may be given to us
by the Society or its heads ; we must above all,
follow with docility the directions which our ec-
clesiastical superiors may think proper to give
us. St. Vincent de Paul wished that his disciples
should not undertake any good work without
having first secured the assent and received the
benediction of the local pastors. In like manner,
we must refer all matters appertaining to eccle-
siastical jurisdiction to the director of the So-
ciety, considering as an evil any good that we
could effect, contrary to his authority. We will
extend, to a certain degree, this deference to the
Sisters of Charity, or even to laymen who may
have offices of charity to perform towards those
whom we also desire to succor, esteeming it an
honor to be considered the least among our
brethren, and to be no more than servants and
instruments of others in reference to the poor.
Lastly, among ourselves the younger should de-
fer to the elder, and the newly-admitted mem-
bers to those who are of longer standing.

We are the dispensers of th? gifts of God, Who

20 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF

is the common Father of mankmd, and makes
His sun to shine upon all. Our love of our
neighbor, then, should be without respect of
persons. The title of the poor to our commiser-
ation is their poverty itself. We are not to in-
quire whether they belong to any party, or sect,
in particular. Jesus Christ came to redeem and
save all men, the Greeks as well as Jews, bar-
barians as well as Eomans. We will not dis-
criminate more than did He, between those whom
suffering and misery have visited. Nevertheless,
St. Paul recommends to Christians to assist, in
the jirH place, their brethren in the faith : ad
domesiicos fidei. We therefore should testify a
special interest in those poor, who have the hap-
piness of being good Christians, and who honor
that title by the virtues, the practice of which re-
ligion inculcates.

The spirit of charity, together with Christian
prudence, will further induce us to banish polit-
ical discussions forever from our meetings, as
well general as ordinary. St. Vincent de Paul
would not allow his ecclesiastics even to converse
upon those differences which arm princes against
each other, or upon the motives of rivalry which
estrange nations. With more reason, those who
vish to be of one mind, and to exercise a min-

ST. VINCENT DK PAUL. 21

istry of charity, should abstain from being in-
flamed by political leanings which array parties
in opposition, and from starting, amongst them-
selves, those irritating questions which divide
mankind. Our Society is all charity: politics
are wholly foreign to it.

Another efficacious means of maintaining unity
amongst us, and of cementing the Christian friend-
ship of which it is the foundation and the charm,
is to present for admission into the Society only
such candidates as are worthy of the confidence
and affection of our brothers. It might be an
advantage for some persons to participate in our
charitable work ; but, perhaps, it might not be
an advantage for the Society to count them
amongst its members. Previous, therefore, to
the enrolment of any friend into our ranks, we
should carefully inquire whether he be calculated
to draw closer those ties which bind us to each
other; whether the amenity of his disposition
and his Christian demeanor will enhance the
value of the small relief which he will be com-
missioned to carry to the distressed; whether
the firmness of his character authorizes us to
hope that he will persevere in his generous re-
BolutiDns.

Tbe choice of new members is of the utmost

22 RULES OF THE BOOIETT OF

importance. Defections we have already nad to
lament — others are going on even now: there
will be some always : — such is human weakness.
Yet the Society will inspire some confidence, —
will he efficient for some good, only so far as its
members will prove its worth by their entire con-
duct, and particularly by their perseverance in
the acts of charity to which they devote them-
selves.

Another point no less worthy of our considera-
tion is, the discretion which should accompany
zeal for the salvation of souls. All fervor is
not holy nor accepted by God. All times are
not suitable for instilling new and Christian teach-
ing into the heart. We must know how to wait
for God's own time, and to be patient as He is.
Often we must wait entire weeks before we are
able to inculcate, with effect, even one moral and
edifying maxim. Above all, we must never be
importunate upon this point. We are not com-
missioned to perform the good which it is out of
our power to effect. On the other hand, the ap-
parently trifling results of our mission must not
discourage us. Perhaps the Almighty wills not
that we ourselves should witness the happy re-
sults which our efforts and our sacrifices may at
last produce. Our charity would be less meri

ST. VINCENT DK PAUL. 25

torious, and might expose us to vainglory, if we
saw it always crowned with success.

Christian prudence should never abandon us
in the ministrations which we fulfil towards the
poor. Unfortunately^ and especially iii large
towns, the poor sometimes try to conceal such
resources as they may have, and thus draw to
themselves that sympathy and those alms which
should be shared with others. Therefore, with-
out arming ourselves with a distrust which might
be unjust towards them, we must be circumspect.
It is not wise to rely too implicitly upon their
first statements.

It will, therefore, be a duty to ascertain their
real condition from the clergy, or from those
persons most able to afford us information upon
the subject. We must be provident for the poor,
who are seldom provident for themselves. If
we wish to become their true benefactors, we
should impress upon them that an existence sus-
tained by the aid of charity is very precarious —
we should induce them to exert themselves to
earn their own livelihood — we should point out
to them sources of employment, and we should
assist them to obtain it. If they are sick or un-
able to work, we should second their endeavoi

24 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF

to obtain admission to the asylums e&tablished
for the aged, the infirm, the sick.

In conclusion, we must never be ashamed of
the smallness of our alms. That which is small
in the estimation of the rich, is great in the eyes
of those who possess nothing. The smallness of
our alms is one of the conditions of our existence.
We have no other ordinary resources than our
own voluntary offerings ; these will not be suffi-
cient for considerable works of charity ; but our
tender interest — our very manner, will give to
our alms a value which they do not possess in
themselves.

We must now lay do^vn some rules, and men-
tion some practices we have been in the habit
of following ; other customs will, doubtless, be
hereafter added — other rules will become neces-
sary ; but the existing rules, and the customs in
use, will suffice to guide our future progress.

OT. VIKOENT DE FAUI<. 25

EULES.

GENEBAL KEGULATIONS.

Article 1. All Christian young men who de-
sire to unite in a communion of prayers and a
participation of the same works of charity, may
become members of the Society of Saint Vincent
de Paul, wherever they may happen to reside.

Art. 2. No work of charity should be regarded
as foreign to the Society, although its special ob-
ject is to visit poor families. Thus, its members
are expected to embrace every opportunity of
affording consolation to the sick and to prisoners,
of instructing poor, unprotected, or imprisoned
children, and of procuring the succors of relig-
ion for those who need them, at the hour of
death.

Art. 3. When several members of the Society
are found in any locality, they meet to encourage
each other in the practice of virtue. This meet-
ing is called a Conference^ the name originally
given to the Society itself.

Art. 4. Should several Conferences be formoJ*
3

iSO RULES OP THK SOCIETY OF

in the sanie^ town, each takes the name of the
parish where its members meet, and the several
Conferences are united by a Particular Council^
which takes the name of the town itself.

Art. 5. All the Conferences of the Society are
united by a Council-General.

CHAPTER I.

THE CONFERENCES.

Article 6. The Conferences meet upon such
days and at such hours as they themselves may
appoint

Art. 7. The Conferences should endeavor to
carry on a correspondence with each other for
their mutual edification and support, — ^and that
they may be able, whenever necessary, to recom-
mend to the kind offices of each other, either the
members themselves of the Society, or other
young men, or the poor families who change
their places of abode.

§ 1. Organization of Conferences,

Art. 8. The business of each Conference
ministered by a President, a Spiritual D*

ST. VINCENT DK PAUL, 27

one or more Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, and a
Treasurer, who constitute the Council of the Con-
ference. There may be also in each Conference,
if necessary, a Librarian, a Keeper of the Clothes-
Room, or other officers.

Art. 9. The President is elected by the Con-
ference. The other officers are appointed by the
President, with the advice of his Council. How-
ever, as is said farther on, in the town where
there is a Council of Direction, the Presidents,
Vice-Presidents, and other officers of the Confer
ences, are appointed by the President of the Coun-
cils The Spiritual Director is always appointed
by the Bishop or Archbishop of the Diocese.

Art. 10. The President directs the business
of the Conference, receives and submits proposi-
tions, calls meetings, if necessary, and watches
over the execution of the rules and the decisions
of the Society. In case of absence, he entrusts
his duties to a Vice-President.

Art. 11. The Secretary prepares the minutes
of the meetings. He keeps a registry of the
names, professions, and residences of the mem-
bers, of the dates of their admission, and the
names of those by whom they were proposed.
He keeps an exact account of all the families
visited. He makes diligent inq^uiry cf^ncerning

28 RULES OP THE SOCIETY OP

those recommended for relief, so that the Confer
ence may not, if possible, visit any family which
IS not worthy of its sympathy and support. He
notes any changes that occur in the families visit-
ed, or in the members who visit them.

Art. 12. The Treasurer has the care of the
funds, and takes at each meeting an exact accoimt
of the receipts and disbursements.

Art. 13. Tlie Librarian collects instructive
books adapted to the capacity of the persons re-
lieved by the Conference, and keeps an account
of all books lent or bestowed.

Art. 14. The keeper of the wardrobe collects
the clothes for the poor, and keeps a regular ac-
count of them.

§ 2. Order of the Meetings.

Art. 15. The Spiritual Director, or in his ab-
sence the President, opens each meeting with the
prayer Veni Sancte Spiritus, followed by the
Prayer, with the Ave Maria, and Invocation of
St, Vincent de Paul. A portion of some pious
book selected by the Spiritual Director or Pres-
ident is then read. Each member is called upon
in turn to perform this duty. The duty of prayer
and pious reading should be discharged with the
most serious attention ; the f piritual good of the

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 29

members being as much the object of the Society
1^ the relief of the poor.

Aet. 16. "iDie Secretary reads the minutes of
the preceding meeting. Eadi member is sJy
liberty to make observations upon them.

Art, 17. If there be occasion, the President
announces the admission of candidates proposed
at the preceding meeting, and invites their pro-
posers to inform them of it.

Art. 18, Ihe President then announces the
names of new candidates, should any such have
been presented. Members who have any obser-
vations to make in relation to the candidates,
communicate such in writing, or verbally, to the
Prei^dent, in the interval between the meeting at
which the names are amiounced, and that which
follows next after. If no observations have been
made, the admission of the member proposed
takes place at the latter meeting. Each mem-
ber should be careful not to introduce into ihe
Society any one who will not edify his fellow
members, or be edified by them, and who will
not endeavor to love his colleagues and the poor
as brothers.

Art. 10. The Treasurer announces the state of
the funds and the amount of the collection made
at the close of the pr ceding meeting, so that each
3*

30 RULES OP THB SOCIETY OF

member may proportion his demands for relief
to the resources of the Conference.

Art. 20. Tickets available for relief in kind,
and which vary according to the requirements of
the poor, are then distributed. Each member is
called upon in his turn by the President, and
mentions aloud what he applies for, and for how
many families. He gives, when called upon to
do so, detailed information about these families.
The relief should be punctually given to the pooi
at their residences, before the next meeting.
But the members administering it may use their
own discretion, both as to the precise time, num-
ber, and manner of their charitable visits, and
also as to the best means of introducing into
these families the love of religion and the prac-
tice of their duties. Should a member ask for
any rules to guide his conduct, or for advice in
difficult cases, he is heard with attention and
kindness, and receives from the President and
every other member such replies as their expe-
rience and charity suggests.

Art. 21. If relief in money, clothes, or books
be applied for, the grounds of such application
should be fully explained, and the Conference
votes. Should the case of distress be such that
a grant of money is indisp^ sable, and that relief

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 31

in kind will not answer instead, the members re-
ceiving the money must take special care to watch
diligently over the use made thereo£

Art. 22. After the allocation of the different
sorts of relief, the members deliberate on the
disposal of any situations tliey may be able to
procure for the poor, on the plans for the relief
of the distressed, and on the families to be visited
by new members, or by those who wish to visit
more. No family can be admitted on the relief
roll 'of the Society without a previous statement
of its wants, made either by the Secretary, or by
such other member as may have been appointed
by the President to collect information. Before
the Conference decides, every member has full
liberty to make any remarks upon the case he
may think useful.

Art. 23. Mcrmbers leaving for a time, or for-
ever, the place where the Conference is, give no-
tice to the President, who confides to others the
duties with which such members were chained-

Art. 24. Hie Conference then considers any
observations that may be made with a view to
its interests, its increase, and the best use of its
funds.

Art. 25. At the close of the meeting, and be-
fore the prayer, tlie Treasure makes the colleo-

32 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF

tion, to which each member contributes an offer-
ing proportioned to his means, bat always in
secret. Those who cannot spare time for the
service of the poor, try to increase the amount
of their pecuniary contributions. The collectic«i
is intended for the use of the families visited, but
the members should not neglect any other means
that may present themselves of increasing the
funds of the Conference.

Art. 26. The meeting closes with the 'prayer
to Saint Vincent de Paul, and the prayer^ Pro
henefactonbus, and Suh tuum prcesidium.

CHAPTER II.

PARTICULAR COUNCILS.

Article 27. The Particular Council of a, town
is composed of a President, a Spiritual Director,
Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, of all
the Presidents, Spiritual Directors, and Vice-
Presidents of the Conferences of the town, and
of the Presidents, Spiritual Directors, and Vice-
Presidents of Special Works in which all are in-
terested.

Art. 28. The Particular Council is charged

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 33

Witn those works and important measures which
interest all the Conferences of the town.

Art. 29. It decides on the allocation of the
common fund. This fund is maintained by all
donations not made expressly to any of the Con-
ferences ; collections made at the general meetings
of the town, and by the contributions which the
Presidents bring to the Council in the name of
of their respective Conferences. This fund is
intended to meet the expenses of the special
works of the town, and to sustain the poorer Con-
ferences.

Art. 30. The President, Spiritual Director,
Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, consti-
tute the ordinary Council, to which belongs the
direction of the ordinary business.

Art. 31. The President is appointed by the
Council, with the advice of the Conferences. On
the first occasion, he is appointed by the united
Conferences. The President appoints the Presi-
dents and the Vice-Presidents of Conferences and
of Special Works, as well as the Vice-President,
the Secretary, and the Treasurer of the Particular
Council, taking the advice of his Council upon all
these appointments.

Art. 32. The President of the Particular Coun-
cil directs its proceedings, receives and submits

34 RULES OF THE SOCIETr OF

propositions, and calls meetings when necessary.
He presides at the general meetings of the district.

Art. 33. The Secretary prepares the minutes
of the meetings of the Council. He keeps a reg-
ister of the names, Giristian names, professions,
and residences of the members of all the Con-
ferences of the town, with the dates of their ad-
mission, and the names of their proposers. He
also registers the native places of tliose who have
not a fLxcd domicile in the town.

Art. 34. The Treasurer has charge of the com-
mon fund of the to^\^l.

Art. 35. The Conferences are represented in
the Particular Council by their Presidents and
Vice-Presidents. The President, Spiritual Direct-
ors and Vice-Presi<3ents of Special Works appear
there to watch over the interests of these works.
Each makes reports when invited to do so by tha
President of the Council.

CHAPTER III.

THE COUNCIL-GENERAL.

Article 36. The Council-General is composed
of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treas-
urer, and of several Councillors.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 35

Art. 37. The Council-General is tne bond of
all the Conferences — it maintains the unity of the
Society. It labors for whatever can promote its
prosperity. In this respect it adopts the course
which it judges most useful.

Art. 38. It decides upon the allocation of the
central fund. This fund is maintained by dona-
tions made to the Society, by collections made at
the general meetings of the Society, and by con-
tributions from the Conferences and Councils to-
wards the general expenses of the Society.

Art. 39. The members of the Council-General
are nominated by the President, with the advice
of the Council.

Art. 40. When a President-General of the So-
ciety is to be nominated, the Council-General is
convened by the Vice-President. This meeting
is preparatory, its sole business being to deliber-
ate as to the person who may be considered eli-
gible for the office. If the former President be
living, he is requested to designate some person
whom he thinks it would be proper to selfect.

36 RULES OF THE SOCIETY 07

leagues, and to the Presidents of the Conferences,
who consult their respective Councils, or even
the Conferences over which they preside ; all the
Presidents transmit their opinions to the Coun-
cil-General, and according to these opinions the
Council-General makes the election; an exact
minute of which is recorded. While the elec-
tion is pending, all the members of the Society
offer up, either in private or in their meetings, as
a special prayer to God, the Veni Creator, that
His Spirit may enlighten them in the choice they
are about ,to make.

Art. 41. The President-General convokes ex
traordinaijy j^ieetings, and presides both in the
Couneil-Gon^r^l. and in all general meetings.

Art. 42. The -Secretary-General keeps a reg-
ister of the nam^jc Christian names, professions,
residences, and .4^t^, of admission of the mem-
bers ; also pf thQ .offiieors of the Councils or Con-
ferences, and of the pl^es, days, and hours of
; their meetings. He prepares the minutes of the
-meetings of the Council-General, and of general
..meetings. He draws upxMi annual report on the
> state of the works of the Sopiety. He is charged
with the general corrcspoo^pnce with the Presi-
r. dents or Secretaries of the sevpral Councils or Con-
4. ferences. He keeps the archives of the Society,

ST. VINCENT DK PAUL. 37

Art. 43. The Treasurer-General has charge of
the funds. He keeps a regular account of the
receipts and disbursements, and submits his ac-
counts to the Council-General.

Art. 44. If the President-General himself can-
not preside at the Council of Paris, he appoints a
member of the Council-General to do so. He
also, on the recommendation of the Secretary-
General, appoints several members of the Coun-
cil-General to the office of Vice-Secretaries.

CHAPTER IV.

GENERAL MEETINGS.

Article 45. General meetings are held every
year, on the 8th of December, the feast of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin;
on the first Sunday of Lent ; on the Sunday of
the Good Shepherd (the anniversary of the trans-
lation of the relics of Saint Vincent de Paul ;)
and on the 19th of July, the feast of this our pat-
ron Saint. The President is empowered, more-
over, to call extraordinary general meetings.

Art. 46. The general meetings, like the Con-
ferences, open with prayer and pious reading.

Art. 47. The Secretary having first read the
4

38 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OP

minutes of the preceding meeting, calls aloud tJ**
members admitted into the different Conferences
since the last general meeting, and whose names
have been remitted to him for this purpose by
the different Presidents. These members rise —
the Secretary presents them to the Society and
to the President, who addresses them in a few
words.

Art. 48. The Presidents of Conferences report
on the state of their Conferences. A summary
abstract of each report, containing the changes of
members and of poor families, the total receipts,
with the amount and items of the expenditure, is
deposited in the hands of the Secretary.

Art. 49. The Secretary then reads letters from
those Conferences which have not been able to
send a representative to the meeting. He also
reads extracts of any other letters which may in-
terest the Society.

Art. 50. The President then announces the
measures taken by the Council of Direction for
the good of the Society, and, if necessary, solicits
the advice of the meeting.

Art. 51. The President, or any member of
the Society invited by him, addresses the meeting
in a few words of Christian and charitable exhor-
tation. The Society considers itself fortunate

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, 39

when persons eminent for their character, their
virtue, and their knowledge, are good enough to
be present upon the invitation of the President
at the general meeting, and to Cxose it with some
edifying remarks.

Art. 52. After the collection and usual pray-
ers, the meeting closes.

CHAPTER V.

THE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY.

Article 53. Besides its active members, the
Society has corresponding members, honorary
members, and subscribers.

Art. 54. A member changing his residence
and going to a place where there is no Conference
of Saint Vincent de Paul, does not thereby cease
to belong to the Society ; — he becomes a corre-
sponding member ; he puts himself in communi-
cation with the Conference or Conferences of the
town of the diocese nearest to his residence, and
corresponds with the Secretary of the Council or
of the Conference of that town. Should there be
no Conference in his diocese, he corresponds with,
the Secretary-General. He receives every yearr
a report on the works of the Society, and mains

40 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF

taiiis with it a communion both of prayers and
good works, by doing whatever works of charity
he can, and by advancing the interests of the So-
ciety whenever he has an opportunity.

Art. 55. Honorary members do not assist at
the ordinary meetings of the Conferences. They
are invited, like the ordinary members, to all
other meetings. They are to send every year a
special offering to the Treasurer of the Council or
Conference of their town. The forms of admis-
sion are the same for ordinary and honorary
members; when several Conferences are estab-
lished in a town, honorary members are admitted
by the Particular Council.

Art. 56. Every Conference may have, more-
over, simple subscribers — these are not members
of the Society, but are entitled as benefactors to
its prayers.

CHAPTER VI.

the festivals of THE SOCIETY.

Article 57. The Society celebrates the Feast
of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin, and the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, its
Patron. The Conferences assists in a body at
mass, on the 8th of December and 19th of July,

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 41

and also on the anniversary of the translation of
the relics of St. Vincent de Paul. On these days
the members pray for the prosperity of the
Catholic Church, for the increase of charity
amongst men, and to draw down the blessings
of God on the work in which they are associated.
Should any member be absent from the locality,
or otherwise prevented from attending, he assists
in spirit at least with his brethren, and prays for
them as they pray for him.

Art. 58. The day after the general meeting in
Lent, all the members of the Society assist in a
body at the Requiem Mass, which is offered in
the town for the repose of the souls of the de-
ceased members of the Society.

OBSERVATION.

Art. 59. None of the preceding rules impose
an obligation of conscience, but the Society relies
for their fulfilment on the zeal of its members,
and their love of God and of their neighbor.

It is by following the above rules, which down
to the present moment were mere customs, that
the young Christian associates of the Society of
4*

42 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OP

St. Vincent de Paul, have hitherto endeavored to
attain the double end : —

Of learning to know and love each other ;

Of learning to know, love, and serve the poor
of Jesus Christ.

The establishment of separate Conferences has
not proved an obstacle to the accomplishment of
this double end : Christian intimacy has grown
even stronger between the members of the same
section than was possible between the members
of the whole Society. There is no solitude like
that of a crowd, and large assemblies are 'very
like the multitude we see passing and bustling
along, but which excites no interest in our breast,
nor feels any for us. Besides, from time to time
we correspond with distant Conferences. Those
belonging to the same town meet together ; and
such meetings and letters make our ties the
stronger. Neither is distance nor any other ob-
stacle insurmountable for friendship, grounded
upon community of prayer and charitable deeds.

Be of good courage, therefore; whether to-
gether or separate, far or near, let us love each
other, let us love and serve the poor. Let us
love that little Society which made us known to
one another, which placed us in the path of a
more Christian and charitable life. Let us love

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 43

our customs, our rules: by adhering strictly
to them, we shall be most certainly kept in the
true path, as they will keep up our work. " A
great deal of evil is done," said a holy priest to
another charitable association ; " let us do a little
good." Oh ! how delightful it will be one day
to find that we have not allowed the days of our
youth to glide away uselessly ! Youth is a field
that requires a reaper. Let us not run through
it in haste, and without regard to futurity ; let us
look around us ; let us carefully glean every one
of the ears that lie at our feet ; let us do a little
^ood, for that good is a sheaf of provision for
life; — that good will be fruitful for us in the
eyes of the Lord.

■•♦♦-

REGULATIONS

FOB THE UPPEB COUNCILS.
p)rawn up by the General Council, on the Ist of April, 1850.]

Article 1. When the Conferences of a more
extensive circumscription than that of a Particu-
lar Council, desire to be united by a Council, an
Upper Council may be constituted for this pur-
pose, conformably to the terms of the Brief of

44 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF

our Holy Father, Pope Gregory XVI., dated
January the 10th, 1845. This Council is named
after the circumscription for which it is estab-
lished, and which is determined by the Council-
General ; its seat is fixed by the Council-General.

This Council, within its circumscription, is the
representative of the General Council, which
forms the centre of the whole Brotherhood, and
it governs all the Councils and Conferences al-
ready established, or which may be established
there. Its object is to preserve the unity and
spirit of the Brotherhood there; it forms the
natural and usual link of correspondence be-
tween the Councils and Conferences with the
General Council.

Art. 2. The Upper Council consists of a Presi-
dent, of one or more Vice-Presidents, of a Secre-
tary, a Treasurer, one or several Vice-Secretaries,
a Vice-Treasurer, and of several Councillors.

Art. 3. When the President is to be named

for the first time, all the Conferences of the cir-
cumscription are invited to assist in doing so.
The election shall take place under the superin-
tence of the Conference or Council belonging to
the town wherein the Upper Coimcil is to be es-
tablished.

Art. 4. When a new President is to be Lamed,

ST. VINCENT DB PAUL. 46

the Vice-President assembles the Council. This
preparatory sitting is devoted to deliberation as
to who may be an eligible person for this office.
If the former President be still alive, he is invited
to designate the person whom ne should deem it
of advantage to select.

When the members have come to an under-
standing upon one or several names, the meeting
adjourns for a month; during the interval the
proceedings of this preparatory meeting are made
known to the Presidents of the Particular Coun-
cils, who consult their colleagues, and to the Pres-
idents of the Conferences, who consult their re
spective Councils, or even the Conferences over
which they preside ; all the Presidents transmit
their opinions to the Council, and according to
these opinions the Council makes the election;
an exact minute of which is recorded. While
the election is pending, all the members of the
circumscription address, either in private or at
the meetings, a special prayer to God, such as
the Veni Creator, in order that His Spirit may
guide them throughout the intended election.

Art. 5. The members of the Upper Council
are named, as well as tho^e of the Board, by the
President, with the advice of the Council.

Art. 0. The Preside it presides over the Upper

46 RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF

Council, and over the general meetings of the Con-
ferences of the town where it is established. Ho
convenes extraordinary meetings. In case of ab-
sence, his place is supplied by the Vice-President,
or even, if necessary, by any other member of
the Council.

Art. 7. The Secretary keeps an account of the
names. Christian names, professions, residences,
and dates of reception of the different members
of the Conferences belonging to the town where
the Upper Council holds its sittings. He also
notes down the persons who form the Boards of
the Councils, or of the Conferences of the circum-
scription, as well as the places where, and days
and hours when, they hold their sittings.

He draws up the minutes of the sittings held
by the Council and general meetings ; prepares
the annual report upon the works of the Confer-
ences of the circumscription, and transmits it to
the General Council. He is entrusted, under the
superintendence of the President, with the general
correspondence that is kept up with the Presi-
dents and Secretaries of the Councils and Confer-
ences, as well as with the General Council. He
has the custody of the records of the Society in
that circumscription.

The Treasurer has the care of tlie funds. He

ST. VINCENT DE lAUL. 47

Keeps an exact account of the receipts and expen-
diture ; he submits his accounts to the Council.

Art. 8. In case the Upper Council does not
fulfil, for the local Conferences, the office of a
Particular Council, the presidency of the latter
devolves by right on the President of the Upper
Council, who names the Presidents and Vice-
Presidents of the Conf^ences and Special Works,
as also the Board of the Particular Council.

In case of any impediment, his presidency
over the Particular Council is supplied by a
member of the Upper Council, whom he dele-
gates for that purpose.

Art. 9. The funds of the Council are main-
tained by extraordinary donations made to the
Society, by collections at the General Meetings
of the town in which it is established, and by
the contributions which are annually sent by
each Conference, or by each Council of the cir-
cumscription, towards the general expenses.

Art. 10. When a Conference or Particular
Council is about to be formed in the circumscrip-
tion, the Upper Council examines how far it may
be proper to propose its aggregation to the Gen-
eral Council. This aggregation can never take
place but with the previous advice of the Upper
Council.

iS BULKS OF THB SOOIETT.

It likewise refers to the General Council, when
it is deemed necessary to dissolve any Particular
Conference or Council. In a case of urgency, it
may temporarily suspend the sittings, and refer
the matter to the General Council.

Art. 11. The Upper Council governs all the
practical details of the Conferences in the cir-
cumscription, either through the medium of cor-
respondence or of circulars from the President,
and watches over the observance of the Rules, re-
serving, howe^ er, to the General Council weighty
questions, and such as may concern the welfare
of the Society at large. .

Art. 12. The Presidents of the Upper Councils,
when present in Paris, attend at and take part in
the sittings of the General Council, of which they
are members, as long as they continue to fill the
same office.

The General Council may ask for their opinion
in writing upon such matters as interest the whole
Brotherhood. •

PRATERS.

50 PRAYERS.

PKAYERS.

At the Opening of the Meeting.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy
faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of
Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and our hearts
shall be regenerated.

E. And Thou shalt renew the face of the
Earth.

LET us PRAY.

O God, Who, through the light of the Holy
Ghost, didst instruct the hearts of the faith-
ful, grant that by the same Spirit we may
be truly wise, and ever enjoy His consola-
tion, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Ave Maria, etc.

P. St. Vincent de Paul,

E. Pray for us.

In the name, etc.

PRAYERS. 51

PKAYEES.

At the Opening of tho Meeting.

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritua
Sancti. Amen.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus :

Keple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris
in eis ignem accende.

V. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur :

K. Et renovabis faciem terrse.

OBEMUS.

Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus
illustratione docuisti, da nobis in eodum
Spiritu recta sapere, et de ejus semper con-
Bolatione gaudere, per Christum Dominum
nostrum.

Ave Maria^ etc.

V. Sancte Vincenti h, Paulo,

K. Ora pro nobis.

In nomine Patris, etc.

52 PRATERS.

The Closing Prayers.

In the name, etc.

P. St. Vincent de Paul,

E. Pray for us.

LET us PRAY.

Most gracious Jesus, Who didst raise up
blessed Vincent for an apostle of Thy most
ardent charity in the Church, pour forth up-
on Thy servants that same fervor of charity,
that, for the love of Thee, they may with a
most ready heart bestow their goods upon
the poor, and spend themselves for their
souls : Who with God the Father livest and
reignest in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
world without end.

E. Amen.

FOB BENEFACTORS.

Vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, Thy grace to
the benefactors of the poor, most tender
Jesus, Who hast promised a hundredfold
and a Heavenly kingdom to those that do
works of mercy in Thy name.

E. Amen,

PRATERS. 53

The Closing Prayers.

In nomine Patris, etc.

Y. Sancte Vincenti 4 Paulo,

R. Ora pro nobis.

OEEMUS.

Clementissime Jesu qui BeatumTincen-
tium flagrantissimsBcharitatis tuse apostolum
in Ecclesid suscitasti, effunde super famulos
tuos eumdem charitatis ardorem, ut amore,
tuo libentissime in pauperes impendant sua,
et seipsos super impendant, qui cum Deo
Patre^ vivis et regnas in unitate Spirit^
Sancti Deus, per omnia sa^cula sseculorum.
Amen,

PRO BENEFAOTORIBUS.

Benefactoribus pauperum gratiam largiri
dignare, piissime Jesu, qui impertituris mis-
ericordiara in nomine tuo centuplum reg-
numque coeleste promisisti. Amen.

54 PRATERS.

We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother
of God : despise not our petitions in our ne-
cessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O
ever glorious and blessed Virgin.

R. Amen.

And may the souls of the faithful, through
the mercy of God, rest in peace.

R. Amen.

Queen, conceived without sin, pray for ns.

May the Divine assistance remain always
with us.

In the name, etc.

A PRAYEB USED BY THE MEMBEES OF THE
SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

We thank thee, O Lord I for the graces
and blessings which Thou hast been hitherto
pleased to bestow upon the Society of St,
Vincent de Paul.

We still ask of Thee to grant us these same
blessings for this dear Society, for its several
Conferences, and in particular for the Con-
ference of which we are members. Grant
that our society may be fortified, extended,
and perpetuated, through its primitive spirit

PRAYERS. 55

Sub tuum prsesidium confugimtis, sancta
Dei Genitrix : nostras deprecationes ne des-
picias in necessitatibus ; sed a pericuKs cunc-
tis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et bene-
dicta. Amen.

Et fidelium animsa per misericordiam Dei
requiescant in pace. Amen.

Kegina sine labe concepta, ora pra nobis.

In nomine Patris, etc.

A PEAYER USED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE
SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.*

Gratias agimus tibi, Domine, qui Socie-
tatem Sancti Vincentii a Paulo tot ac tantis
hactenus benedictionibus cumulare dignatus
es.

Hanc igitur nobis dilectissimam Socie-
tatem precamur usque respicias, sed et singu-
las illius partes et earn imprimis cui adscrib-

• This prayer was approyed of on the 29th of June^
1846, by the Abbd Bupet, Vicar-General of Paris.

56 PRATERS.

of piety, simplicity, and brotherly union, b
order that its undertakings, heing fully di-
vested of all earthly interest, may become
daily more fruitful for Heaven.

Thou knowest, O Lord I the spiritual and
temporal misery of the families we endeavor
to assist ; Thou knowest likewise our own ;
be pleased to have pity on all, and let all
experience the effects of Thy infinite mercy.

We beseech Thee, in particular, O God !
to help those amongst our brethren who are
undergoing sundry trials ; let them never
want that strength, that light, that peace
and hope which come from Thee ; let their
trials and our own, which alike proceed from
Thee, be supported with patience and resig-
nation, so as to be agreeable to Thy eyes and
replete with fruits of salvation.

Lastly, O Lord ! we entreat Thee, through
the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, and

PRAYERS. 57

imuT. Fac, qusesumus, ut propagetur ubique
et in perpetuum confirm etur, vigente sem-
per eodem, qui fuit ab initio, pietatis, sim-
plicitatis et fraternse dilectionis affectu, ita
ut illius opera, ab omni prorsus terrestri
foenore et cupi dilate libera, magi^ ac magis
in Ccelum fecundentur.

Scis ipse, Domine, quam multis indigeant
turn spiritualibus, tum temporalibus, bonis
familise pauperum, quibus pro parte, exigua
nimis, opitulamur. Scis et quam multis ipsi
indigeamus. Miserere nostri, Domine, et in-
finitam misericordiam tuam omnes pariter
sentiamus.

Nostris quoque fratribus qui eodum nobis
conjunguntur sodalitio, si qui variis nunc
premuntur angustiis, subveni, piissime Deus.
Infunde illis fortitudinem, prudentiam, pa-
cem et fiduciam quae a te sunt. Nostrse et
illoruni serumnsB patienter pro Christo tol-
eratsB, tibi sint acceptse et in salutem fructi-
ficent.

Fosis tandem precibus, te Domine, per
merita Domini n Dstri Jesu Christi, special-

58 PRATERS.

the special intercession of the Immaculate,
Blessed Mary, and of our holy patron, to
give one day a place in Thy kingdom to the
families of our poor, to our brethren, and to
ourselves. Amen.

PRAYERS. 59

emque beatse Marise Immaculatse et sancti
Yincentii intercessionem deprecamur, nt
solutis nostrse mortalitatis vinculis, omnes
nobis propinquitate seu necessitudine de-
vinctos, pauperes nobis commissos, carissi-
mosque sodales, regni tui nobiscum facias
esse participes. Amen.

60 PRAYERS.

THE HYMN, " VENI CREATOR BPIRITUS," AND THE
SEQUENCE, "VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS."

By a Brief dated May 26, 1796, Pope Pius
VI., of blessed memory, granted to all the
faithful who one or more times a day should
invoke the Holy Spirit with the hymn, Veni
Creator SpiritTiSy etc,^ or the Sequence, Veni
Sancte ^piritus^ etc., with the intention of
praying for peace amongst Christian princes,

I. The Plenary Indulgence once a month,
on any one day, after Confession and Com-
munion. Moreover, to those who should re-
cite the said Hymn and Sequence as above
on Whitsunday or during its octave, he
granted —

n. Three hundred days' Indulgence, and

ni. One hundred days' Indulgence daily,
for every other day in the year.

The original Brief above-named is kept
in the Archivium of the Congregation called
Prima Pri/maria^ in the Koman College.

THE HYMN.

Veni Creator Spiritus,
Mentes tuorum visita,
Imple superna gratia.
Quae Tu creasti pectora.

Qui diceris Paraclitus,
Altissimi Donum Dei,

PRAYERS, 61

Fons vivus, Ignis, Charitas,
Et spiritalis Unctio.

Tu septiformis munere,
Digitus JPaternse dexteraa
Tu rite promissum Patris,
Sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus,
Infunde araorem cordibus,
Infinna nostri corporis
Virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius,
Pacemque dones protinus ;
Ductore sic Te prsevio
Vitemus omne noxium.

Per Te sciamus da Patrem,
Noscamus atque Filium,
Teque utriusque Spiritum
Credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria,
Et Filio, qui a mortuis
Surrexit, ac Paraclito
In sseculorum ssecula. Amen.

TEAKSLATION.

Come, O Creator Spirit I

Yisit this soul of Tliine ;
This heart of Thy creating

Fill Thou with grace divine.
6

62 PRATERS.

Who Paraclete art call'd !

The gift of God above ! .
Pure Unction ! holy Fire !

And Fount of life and love \

Finger of God's right hand I
The Father's promise true !

Who sevenfold gifts bestowest !
Who dost the tongue endow I

Pour love into our hearts ;

Our senses touch with light ;
Make strong our human frailty

With Thy supernal might.

Cast far our deadly foe ;

Thy peace in us fulfil ;
So, Thee before us leading,

May we escape each ill.

The Father, and the Son,

Through Thee may we receive ;

In Thee, from Both proceeding.
Through endless time believe.

Praise to the Father be ;

Praise to the Son who rose ;
And praise to Thee, blest Spirit !

While age on ages flows.

THE SEQUENCE.

Veni Sancte Spiritus, et emittc coelitus lucis
tuae radium

PRAYERS. 63

Veni Pater pauperum, veni dator munenim,

veni lumen cordium.
Consolator optime, dulcis liospes animse,

dulce refrigerium.
In labore requies, in sestu temperies, in fletu

solatium.
O lux beatissima, reple cordis intima tuo-

rum fidelium.
Sine tuo numine nihil est in homine, nihil

est innoxium.
Lava quod est sordidum, riga quod est ari-

dum, Sana quod est saucium.
Flecte quod est rigidum, fove quod est fri-

gidum, rege quod est devium.
Da tuis fidelibus in te confidentibus sacrum

septenarium.
Da virtutis meritum, da salutis exitum, da

perenne gaudium. Amen.

TRANSLATION.

Holy Spirit ! Lord of liffht !
From Thy clear celestial height,
Thy pure beaming radiance give :

Come, Thou Father of the poor !
Come, with treasures which endure !
Come, Thou Light of all that live !

Thou, of all consolers best,
Visiting the troubled breast,
Dost refreshing peace bestow ;

64 PRATERS.

TixovL in toil art comfort sweet ;
Pleasant coolness in the heat ;
Solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal I light Divine !
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill :

If Thou take Thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay ;
All his good is tum'd to ill.

Heal our wounds — our strength renew;
On our dryness pour thy dew ;
Wash the stains of guilt away :

Bend the stubborn heart and will ;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill ;
Guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on those who evermore
Thee confess and Thee adore,
In Thy sevenfold gifts, descend :

Give them comfort when they die ;
Give them life with Thee on high ;
Give them joys which never end.

THE "dE PROFUNDIs" AT THE FIRST HOUR
AFTER NIGHTl^ALL.

Pope Clement XII. was the first who, in
order to move the piety of Christians to
pray for the souls in Purgatory, granted, by

PRATBB8. 65

a Brief of Aug. 14, 1736, Ccde^tes JSodesicB
thesauros —

I. The Indulgence of 100 days to all the
faithful, every time that at the sound of the
bell, at the first hour after nightfall, they
Bay devoutly on their knees the psalm De
ProfundA^^ with a Requiem aetemam at the
end of it.

n. The Plenary Indulgence to those who
perform this pious exercise at the hour ap-
pointed for a whole year, once in the year,
on any one day, after having Confessed and
Communicatea. Those who do not know
by heart the De Profundisy may gain these
Indulgences by saying in the way already
mentioned for the Pe Profundis one Pater
Nosier and one Ave Maria^ with the Pe-
quiem ceiemam.

Observe also, that the aforesaid Clement
Xn. declared, Dec. 12, 1736, that these In-
dulgences might be gained by saying the
De Profy/ndiSy etc., as above, although, ac-
cording to the custom of a particular church
or place, the " signal for tne dead," as it is
called, be given by the sound of the bell
either before or after one hour after night-
fall.

Pope Pius VI., by a Rescript of March
18, 1781, granted the above-named Indul-
ge ices to all the faithful who should chance

66 PRAYERS.

to dwell in any place where no bell for the
dead is sounded, and shall yet say the De
Profundis or Pater Nosier^ etc., as afore-
saia, about nightfall.

Psal/m exxix.

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine:*
Domine, exaudi vocem meam.

Fiant aures tuse intendentes* in vocem
deprecationis mese.

bi iniquitates observaveris, Domine : * Do-
mine, quis sustinebit?

Quia apud te propitiatio est : * et propter
legem tuam sustmui te, Domine.

Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus : * spe-
ravit anima mea in Domino.

A custodia matutina usque ad noctem *
speret Israel in Domino.

Quia apud Dominum misericordia, * et
copiosa apud eum redemptio.

Et ipse redimet Israel * ex omnibus ini-
quitatibus ejus.

Requiem seternam * dona eis, Domine.

Et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Eequiescant in pace.

Amen.

End at jpleasiire with thefcUowing.

Y. Domine, exaudi orationem meam,
a. Et clamor mens ad te veniat.

PRATERS. 67

Orernus.

Fidelium Deus omnium conditor et re-
demptor, animabus famulorum faraularum-
que tuarum remissionem cunctorum tribue
peccatorum: ut indulgentiam, quam sem-
per optaverunt, piis supplicationibus conse
qnantur. Qui vivis et regnas in ssecula sa3-
culorum.

R. Amen.
Y. Eequiem setemam dona eis, Domine.

R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Y, Eequiescant in pace.

J?. Amen.'

TEANSLATION.

Psalm cxxix.

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O
Lord : Lord, hear my voice.

Let Thine eare hearken : to the voice of
my supplication.

K Thou, O Lord, shalt mark our iniqui-
ties : O Lord, who can abide it ?

For with Thee there is mercy: and by
reason of Thy law I have waitea on Thee,
O Lord.

My soul hath waited on His word : my
soul hath hoped in the Lord.

From the morning watch even unto night:
let Israel hooe in the Lord.

08 PRAYERS.

For witli the Lord there is mercy: and
with Him plenteous redemption.

And He shall redeem Israel : from all his
iniquities.

Eternal rest give to them, O Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace.

Amen.
V. Lord hear my prayer,

H. And let mj cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all
the faithful ; grant to the souls of Thy ser-
vants and Tliy handmaids departed the re-
mission of all their sins, that through the
devout prayers of Thy Cliurch on earth they
may obtain that remission of pain which
they have ever desired. Who livest and
rcignest world without end. Amen.
V. Eternal rest give to them, O Lord.

a. And let everlasting light enlighten
them.

V. May they rest in peace.

H. Amen.

Mve Pater and Ave, vrith the "V. Te
ergo, etc.

INDULGENCES

ORANTKD TO

^JTB intifttf nf It. IJinKnt h f anl,

AND TO

rHB BENEFAOTOBS OF THIS SOCIETY, BY THE BBIEF8

OF THE SOVEREIGN PONTIFFS GREGORY

XVI. AND PIUS IX., DATED

Jcmuiry 10, August 12, 1845 ; March 18, 1853 / ani

March 28, 1854.

SECTION FIRST. INDULGENCES GRANTED TO THE

MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY.

A Plenary Indulgence once each month to
the Members of the General Council, and of the
Particuler Council of Paris and of any other
city, who, besides complying with the usual con-
ditions, shall have been present at all, or three
out of the four meetings of their Council held
during the month.

A Plenary Indulgence once each month to
all active members, on the usual conditions, and
provided they shall have been present at all, or
at three out of the four Conference Meetings held
during the month. This indulgence can also bo
gained by the Members of Councils who may
already have gained the above-mentioned indul-
gence.

A Plenary Indulgence on the day of recep-
tion as an Aspirant Member, an Ordinary Mem-
ber, or Member of any particular Council, or of
the General Council, the usual conditions having
been complied with.

70 indulgj:nces.

A Plenary Indulgence to both active and
honorary Members, who, on the festival of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, or, if it is transferred, on the day itself
on which it is celebrated ; and of St. Vincent of
Paul, and the seven days immediately following,
once only during this space of eight days, and on
the second Sunday after Easter, and on the Mon-
day after the first Sunday in Lent, being truly
penitent and having confessed their sins, shall re-
ceive the Holy Sacrament at the Mass which, on
the aforesaid days, is celebrated for the Society,
and shall have been present at the General Meet-
ing which is held on those occasions.

A Plenary Indulgence at the hour of death
to all members of this Society, who, being truly
penitent, and confessing their sins, or, should cir-
cumstances prevent their doing this, being at least
contrite, shall with their lips, or, if unable to do
so, in their hearts, devoutly invoke the holy
Name of Jesus, and shall, with a patient and
ready mind, accept death from the hand of the
Lord as a penalty for sin.

An Indulgence of Seven Years and as many
Forty Days, as often as an active member shall,
with at least a contrite heart, visit any confer
ence or poor family, or the schools or work
shops of tlie poor, or perform any other good
work in accordance with the spirit of the Society,
or shall assist at the holy sacrifice of the Mass,
when celebrated for the soul of any member, oi
shall follow the bodies of the poor to ccclesias
tical interment.

INDULGENCES. 71

The above Indulgences extend to members
who live in places where as yet no Conference
exists, provided they perform, as far as they can,
the customary works, and fulfil the other pre-
scribed conditions.

A Plenary Indulgence to all members who
have attended devoutly each day to the spiritual
exercises which take place for the members col-
lectively, and who, being truly penitent, and hav-
ing confessed, shall receive the Holy Communion
at the Mass on the last of these days, and oifer
prayers for the concord of Christian princes, the
uprooting of heresies, and the exaltation of our
Holy Mother the Church.

An Indulgence op One Hundred Days to
the members who, contrite in heart, shall have
fulfilled only a part of the spiritual exercises, and
shall have prayed as above.

N. B. All the above Indulgences may be applied
by way of suffrage to the souls in Purgatory.

section second. — INDULGENCES GRANTED TO THE
BENEFACTORS OP THE SOCIETY.

1°. A Plenary Indulgence once a month to
all and every one of the faithful, whether men or
women, who shall regularly give to the General
Coimcil some fixed alms, provided they be truly
penitent, confess their sins, and receive the Holy
Communion.

2°. An Indulgence op Seven Years and as
MANY Forty Days, once each month, to all the
faithful, whether men or women, who shall regu-
larly transmit some fixed alms/ to the ParticuTaT

t2 IKDULOEN01.S.

Couucils of Provinces or Towns established by
the General Council.

3°. An Indulgencr op One Year, obtainable,
likewise, once each month by such of the faithful,
men or women, who shall, in writing or other-
wise, engage to give regularly some fixed alms
to Conferences approved by the General Council,
or by Particular Councils empowered to approve
by the General Council.

4°. An Indulgence of Seven Years and as
MANY Forty Days, to all the faithful, whether
men or women, obtainable once each month, on
the days when they solicit and collect contribu-
tions in aid of the Councils, whctl^er General or
Particular.

5°. A Plenary Indulgence at the hour of
death to all benefactors of the Society, who, be-
ing truly penitent, and confessing their sins, or,
should circumstances prevent their doing this,
being at least contrite, shall, with their lips, or,
if unable so to do, in their hearts, devoutly in-
voke the Holy Name of Jesus, and shall with a
patient and ready mind accept death from the
hand of the Lord as a penalty for sin.

Declared to be in conformity with the Apos-
tolic Letters : Romaniim decet Pontijicem of Jan
uary 10th, 1845; Cum Societatem of August
12th, of the same year ; Exponendum nobis
curarunt sodales of March 18th, 1853; and jfi'x-
poneiidum nobis curarunt dilecti filii of March
28th, 1854. (Signed) L. Buquet,

Parts, February 12th, 1855. Vicar-OeneraU

Sonets of $1 f intent be '^ul

EXPLANATORY NOTES

UPON

THE ARTICLES

THE GENERAL RULE

THE SOCIETY.

(JTrom ttt JTrtnc^.)

PRINTED FOR THE COUNCIL OF NEW YORK,

BY EDWARD DUNIGAIT & BROTHEB

(JAMKS B. KIRKBR,)

599 SBOADWAT, V. TOBX.

1869.

THE BRIEF

Or Hifl Holiness Pope Geeoory XVI., to tub (•oukciitQen

EBAL OF THE SOCIETT OF St. ViNCENT DE PaUL.

GREGORY XVI., POPE.

For the perpetual remembrance of the thing.

It becometh the Roman Pontiff to enrich, in a special man-
ner, with the heavenly treasures of the Church, those pious
societies that labor with all care and zeal in the performance
of works of Christian charity. Wherefore, having been earn-
estly solicited by the President and Council- General of the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which was originally estab-
lished in Paris, to grant to that Society some indulgences, as
well plenary as partial. We have thought fit that their pious
supplication should be freely acceded to.

Wherefore we mercifully grant, in the Lord, a plenary in-
dulgence to all and every the members, whether attached to
the now instituted Council-General at Paris, of the said So-
ciety, or to particular Councils of Paris and other cities, who,
being truly penitent, shall have confessed their sins and re-
ceived the Holy Communion ; provided that they shall have
been present at all, or at three out of the four meetings of the
Council which are holden in the month.

Further, to all active members, as they are termed, of the
Society itself, and also the members of the Councils, and oth-
ers of whom mention has been above made, who may have
previously obtained the aforesaid indulgence. We in like
manner grant a plenary indulgence, provided that they shall
have been present at all, or at three out of the four meetings
or conferences holden in the month, and that being truly pen-
itent, and having confessed their sins, they shall have received
the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Moreover, we like-
wise grant the same plenary iniulgence, to be gained by all per-
sons to be admitted into the aforesaid Society on that day, on
wrhich, being in like manner truly penitent, and having con-
fessed their sins, and having received the Holy Communion,
they shall have been received into the different active grader
of aspirant member, ordinary member, member of a Partic*
Council, or of the Council-General. Moreover, we lil
prant a plenary indulgence to all members, as well act«
faumorary, of the said Society, who, on the Feast of t]

IV BRIEFS OP GREGORY XVI.

maculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of St.
Vincent de Paul, and on the second Sunday after Easter,
which is the anniversary of the translation of the relics of the
same St. Vincent ; as also on the Monday after the first Sun-
day of L«>nt, being truly penitent, and having confessed their
sins, shall have received the Holy Communion, at the Mass
which is celebrated on these aforesaid days for the Society,
and shall have been present at the general meeting which is
holden at these seasons. And also in like manner, we grant
a plenary indulgence to all the members and benefactors of
the Society, who, at the hour of death, being truly penitent,
and having confessed their sins, or if unable to do so, being
at least contrite, shall have devoutly invoked the name of
Jesus with their lips, if able, but if not, with their heart, and
with a patient and ready spirit shall have received death from
the hand of the Lord as the wages of sin. Moreover, we re-
mit, according to the usual form of the Church, seven ycai**,
and as many quarantines of the penances enjoined on them,
or otherwise in any way due by them, to all active members
of the same Society, as often, as at least with a contrite heart,
they shall have visited any conference, any poor family, or
the schools and workshops of the poor, or shall have per-
formed any other good work, according to the spirit of the
said Society ; which partial indulgence the active members of
the aforesaid Society can each gain, as often at with a contrite
heart they shall attend at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
offered up for the soul of any member, and as often as they
shall have accompanied the bodies of poor persons to eccle-
siastical sepulture. All and singular these indulgences and
relaxations of penances, we allow to be applicable by way of
suffrage to the souls of the faithful of Christ, who shall have
departed life united in charity with God. Finally, by the
same, our Apostolic authority, we give and grant all and
each of the aforesaid indulgences to all other Councils and
Conferences of the same Society which, with the approbation
of the Council-General, are instituted, whether by the Coun-
cil-General itself or by the Particular Councils of cities or of
provinces already instituted by the Council -General ; also to
members who live in places wherein a Conference is not yet
estaUlished, if in such places they shall have performed as fat
as they are able, the usual works, and shall have complied
with the other conditions already prescribed. Our rule, and
the rule of the Apostolical Chancery, of not granting indul-
gences ad instar, and the other Apostolical constitutions and
ordinances, and all other things to the contrary hereof, not-
withstanding. And we also wish that transcripts or copies,
even printed ones, of these letters, bearing the signature ol

BRIEFS OF GREGORY XVI. V

a person of ecclesiastical dignity, may moreover ruceivo the
same credit as would be given to these letters, were they pro
dnced and shown.

Given at Home, at St. Peter's, under the Fisherman's Ring,
the 10th day of January, 1846, in the fourteenth year of our
Pontificate.

(Place of H the Seal.)

A. Card. Lambruschini.

Approved as a faithful translation of the Brief of his Holi-
ness Gregory XVI. — Brooklyn, January 1, 1855.

•!• JOHN, Bishop of Brookljm.

{Seal)

Further Brief of Ei$ Holiness Pope Gregory XVI.^ to the
Council' General of the Society of St, Vincent de Paul,

GREGORY XVI., POPE.

For the perpetual remembrance of the thing.

"Whereas, the Society instituted under the auspices and
name of St. Vincent de Paul, and devoted to the performance
of works of Christian charity, to our knowledge conduces in
an eminent degree to the good of religion and the advantage
of the faithful, we, in order that it may from day to day re-
ceive fresh increase, have thought fit, that out of the celestial
treasures of the Church, all those should be enriched who
shall have contributed their exertions and means in aid of this
Society, so that this their zeal may become more and more
ardent by the holding forth of spiritual favors. Wherefore,
we mercifully grant, in the Lord, a plenary indulgence, once
in the month, to all and singular the faithful of Christ of
either sex, who, being truly penitent, and having confessed
their sins, and received the Holy Communion, transmit a fixed
and constant eleemosynary donation to the Council-General.
Moreover, we grant an indulgence of seven years and of as
many quarantines once in the month, to all Christ's faithful
of either sex, who shall transmit a fixed and constant elee-
mosynary donation of this kind to the Particular Councils of
provinces or cities instituted by the Council-General. More
over, we grant an indulgence of one year to be gained li'^
wisCi once in the month, to Christ's faith nl of either

• --■:^» and br^

■-'^:r inter*
-■I'u :or Hea--

ft<r

-^- -ord!t*

■ ■-■■- '^;:u
^i.* %■'■? ■■*.••'

^ • '^i-' .i::V

*- «"~r-A

■ • " -^ CB" .

BRIEF

Op Our Holy Father, Pope Pius the Ninth,

Granting an extension of Indulgence to the Society of St,
Vincent de Paul,

And attaching new indulgences to the recitation of certain
prayers, whether by the members of the Society^ or by the
families ihey visit,

PIUS THE NINTH, POPE,
JFbr the perpetual remembrance of the thing.

The Council General (holding its sittings in Paris) of
the charitable Society, which bears the name of St. Vin-
cent de Paul, has represented to us, that by Apostolic
letters of the date of January, 1845, a plenary indulgence
was accorded to all and every one of the faithful (being
members of the said Society), to be gained (under the
usual conditions) once in every year, on the Feast of the
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Mother of
God, and on the Monday succeeding the first Sunday in
Lent.

By those same letters it was further granted, that the
faithful above-mentioned might equally gain a plenary
indulgence, if on the stated festivals of the Society, after
having performed according to rule the other required
works of charity, they are present at the Mass then cele-
brated for the said Society.

But the Council aforesaid having brought to our notice
tl/at it would be ol advantage to the members, if the two

(vii)

THE BRIEF

Or Hifl Holiness Pope Gregory XVI., to tub (ouncil-Qen

EBAL of the SoOIETT OF St. ViNCENT DE PaUL.

GREGORY XVI., POPE.

For the perpetual remembrance of the thing.

It becometh the Roman Pontiff to enrich, in a special man-
ner, with the heavenly treasures of the Church, those pious
societies that labor with all care and zeal in the performance
of works of Christian charity. Wherefore, having been earn-
estly solicited by the President and Council- General of tho
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which was originally estab-
lished in Paris, to grant to that Society some indulgences, as
well plenary as partial. We have thought fit that their pious
supplication should be freely acceded to.

Further, to all active members, as they are termed, of the
Society itself, and also the members of the Councils, and oth-
ers of whom mention has been above made, who may have
previously obtained the aforesaid indulgence. We in like
manner grant a plenary indulgence, provided that they shall
have been present at all, or at three out of the four meetings
or conferences holden in the month, and that being truly pen-
itent, and having confessed their sins, they shall have received
the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Moreover, we like-
wise grant the same plenary indulgence, to be gained by all per-
sons to be admitted into the aforesaid Society on that day, on
which, boing in like manner truly penitent, and having con-
fessed their sins, and having received the Holy Communion,
they shall have been received into the different active grades
of aspirant member, ordinary member, member of a Particular
Council, or of the Council-General. Moreover, we likewise
grant a plenary indulgence to all members, as well active oa
honorary, of the said Society, who, on the Feast of the Im-

IV BRIEFS OF GREGORY XVI.

maculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of St.
Vincent de Paul, and on the second Sunday after Easter,
which is the anniversary of the translation of the relics of the
same St. Vincent ; as also on the Monday after the first Sun-
day of L«>nt, being truly penitent, and having confessed their
sins, shall have received the Holy Communion, at the Mass
which is celebrated on these aforesaid days for the Society,
and shall have been present at the general meeting which is
holden at these seasons. And also in like manner, we grant
a plenary indulgence to all the members and benefactors of
the Society, who, at the hour of death, being truly penitent,
and having confessed their sins, or if unable to do so, being
at least contrite, shall have devoutly invoked the name of
Jesus with their lips, if able, but if not, with their heart, and
with a patient and ready spirit shall have received death from
the hand of the Lord as the wages of sin. Moreover, we re-
mit, according to the usual form of the Church, seven yoars,
and as many quarantines of the penances enjoined on them,
or otherwise in any way due by them, to all active members
of the same Society, as often, as at least with a contrite heart,
they shall have visited any conference, any poor family, or
the schools and workshops of the poor, or shall have per-
formed any other good work, according to the spirit of the
said Society ; which partial indulgence the active members of
the aforesaid Society can each gain, as often a« with a contrite
heart they shall attend at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
offiered up for the soul of any member, and as often as they
shall have accompanied the bodies of poor persons to eccle-
siastical sepulture. All and singular these indulgences and
relaxations of penances, we allow to be applicable by way of
suff^rage to the souls of the faithful of Christ, who shall have
departed life united in charity with God. Finally, by the
same, our Apostolic authority, we give and grant all and
each of the aforesaid indulgences to all other Councils and
Conferences of the same Society which, with the approbation
of the Council-General, are instituted, whether by the Coun-
cil-General itself or by the Particular Councils of cities or of
provinces already instituted by the Council -General ; also to
members who live in places wherein a Conference is not yet
established, if in sucli places they shall have performed as far
as they are able, the usual works, and shall have complied
with the other conditions already prescribed. Our rule, and
the rule of the Apostolical Chancery, of not granting indul-
gences ad in&tar, and the other Apostolical constitutions and
ordinances, and all other things to the contrary hereof, not-
witlistanding. And we also -wish that transcripts or copies,
even printed ones, of these letters, bearing the signature of

BRIEFS OP GREGORY XVI. V

a person of ecclesiastical dignit)', may moreover receive the
same credit as would be given to these letters, were they pro
duced and shown.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, under the Fisherman's Ring,
the 10th day of January, 1845, in the fourteenth year of oui
Pontificate.

(Place of M the Seal.)

A. Card. Lambruschini.

Approved as a faithful translation of the Brief of his Holi-
ness Gregory XVI. — Brooklyn, January 1, 1855.

•^ JOHN, Bishop of Brooklyn.

(Seal.)

Ftirther Brief of Eu Eoline&8 Pope Gregory XYL^ to tJyt
Council- General of the Society of St, Vin/ient de Paul,

GREGORY XVI., POPE.

For iheperpdwd remembrance of the thing.

Whereas, the Society instituted under the auspices and
name of St. Vincent de Paul, and devoted to the performance
of works of Christian charity, to our knowledge conduces in
an eminent degree to the good of religion and the advantage
of the faithful, we, in order that it may from day to day re-
ceive fresh increase, have thought fit, that out of the celestial
treasures of the Church, all those should be enriched who
shall have contributed their exertions and means in aid of this
Society, so that this their zeal may become more and more
ardent by the holding forth of spiritual favors. Wherefore,
we mercifully grant, in the Lord, a plenary indulgence, once
in the month, to all and singular the faithful of Christ of
either sex, who, being truly penitent, and having confessed
their sins, and received the Holy Communion, transmit a fixed
and constant eleemosynary donation to the Council-General.
Moreover, we grant an indulgence of seven years and of as
many quarantines once in the month, to all Christ's faithful
of either sex, who shall transmit a fixed and constant elee-
mosynary donation of this kind to the Particular Councils of
provinces or cities instituted by the Council-General. More-
over, we grant an indulgence of one year to be gained like-
wise, once in the month, to Christ's faith ul of either sex,

Tl BRIEFS OV GREOOir XVI,

who by writing, or in any other way, engage *j contribute
any fixed and constant eleemosynary donation to Conferences
approved of either by the Council-General or by the Particular
Councils delegated for this purpose. Finally, we grant an in-
dulgence of seven years and of as many quarantines, to all
and singular the faithful of Christ of either sex, to be gained
once in the month on those days, to wit, on which they shall
have collected by questing, a pecuniary alms for the Council-
General or Particular Councils. Our rule, and the rule of the
Apostolical Chancery, of not granting indulgences ad imtar,
and the other Apostolical constitutions and ordinances, and
all other things to the contrary hereof, notwithstanding.
And we also wish that transcripts or copies, even printed ones,
of these letters, bearing the signature of a person of ecclesias-
tical dignity, may moreover receive the same credit as would
be given to these letters, were they produced and shown.

Given at Kome, at St. Mary Major's, under the Fisherman's
King, the 12th August, 1815, in the fifteenth year of our Pon-
tificate.

(Place of M the Seal.)

A. Card. Lambrusghini, Bishop of Sabine.

Approved as a faithful translation of the Brief of His Holi«
ness Gregory XVI. — Brooklyn, January 1st, 1855.

•f. JOHN. Bishop of Brooklyn.
(Seal.)

BRIEF

Op Oue Holt Fathee, Popb Pius the Kinth,

Granting an extension of Indulgence to the Society of 8L
Vincent de Paul,

And attaching new indulgences to the recitation of certain
prayers, whether by the members of the Society, or by the
families they visit,

PIUS THE NINTH, POPE,
For the perpetual remembrance of the thing.

The Council General (holding its sittings in Paris) of
the charitable Society, which bears the name of St. Vin-
cent de Paul, has represented to us, that by Apostolic
letters of the date of January, 1846, a plenary indulgence
was accorded to all and every one of the faithful (being
members of the said Society), to be gained (under the
usual conditions) once in every year, on the Feast of thfi
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Mother of
God, and on the Monday succeeding the first Sunday in
Lent.

But the Council aforesaid having brought to our notice
tl^at it would be of advantage to the members, if the two

(vii)

• ••

Vm BBIBF OF PIUS THE NINTH.

plenary indalgences above-mentioned, should be transferred
to another day, and that the condition required to obtain
the second of the said indulgences, namely, the attendance
at Mass, should be modified to 'a certain extent, and We
having been entreated to concede, by virtue of our Aposto-
lical Authority, as well to the said Society as to the
faithful entrusted to its care, new helps to Uieir eternal
salvation ; We who have singularly at heart all pious asso-
ciations which while they relieve the immediate necessities
of the poor, prepare and form their souls to virtue, have
thought proper to assent to these and similar requests.
Wherefore, confiding in the mercy of Almighty God, and
relying upon the authority of the Holy Apostles, Peter
and Paul, Wo extend the plenary indulgence which the
said associates can gain on tlie day of the Feast of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to
the Sunday immediately following, provided this Feast
does not fall on a Sunday, or is not, in the locality, trans-
ferred to some other Sunday — in such manner that the
said members may at their option gain the plenary indul-
gence either on the day of the Immaculate Conception, or
the Sunday next thereafter succeeding.

We also, by virtue of these presents, transfer the plenary
indulgence granted for the first Monday in Lent to the
Sunday immediately preceding, supposing the other condi-
tions to be maintained entire.

And further, lest in any place the scarcity of priests
should present an obstacle. We concede by this Brief
that the said members, though the Mass which they
hear shall not have been celebrated at the instance of the
said Society, shall, if they have duly complied with the
other condition, equally acquire a plenary indulgence in
the Lord.

Furthermore, in virtue of the fullness of the same Apos-
tolic Power, we mercifully grant in the Lord a plenary

BBIEF OF FIITS THB NnTTH. tg^

indnlgence and remission of all their sins to all and every
one of the faithful of both sexes, to whom the said Society
may extend its aid, who being truly penitent and haying
confessed, shall have received Holy Communion, and shall
l^ave visited devoutly any Church or public Oratory, on
the day of the Feast of the Nativity of our Blessed Lord,
or on the day of the Feast of St. Joseph, the Spouse of
the Blessed Virgin Mary from the hour of early vespers ;
and on the day of the close of the annual exercises denomin-
ated the Spiritual Retreat, from the rising to the setting
of the Sun ; offering up to God on these occasions fervent
prayers for the concord of Christian princes, the extirpa-
tion of heresies, and the exaltation of our Holy Mother,
the Church.

Finally, we remit, in the customary form to all and
every one of the faithful, connected, under any title, with
this benevolent Society, and also to its benefactors three
hundred days of penances enjoined or in any way incurred,
as often as, having at least a contrite heart, they recite in
any language the prayer peculiar to the Society, which
begins thus : "Gratias agimus" " We thank thee, O Lord,
for the graces and blessings which Thou hast been hitherto
pleased to bestow upon the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.*
And to all persons assisted by the said Society, we remit
one hundred days of penance enjoined or in any way
incurred, provided that having at least a contrite heart,
they recite, either alone, or with their families, one Our
Father y and one Hail Mary^ with the addition (in any lan-
guage) of the following invocations :

" Queen conceived without the stain of original siui
pray for us I" " St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us !"

And we allow, moreover, all these indulgences, remis-
sions of sin, and relaxations of penance, to be applied by
way of suffrage to the souls of the faithful departed in the
grace of God.

X BRIEF OF PITTS THE KUTTR.

And these presents shall remam binding now and in aA
future time, anything that may be said or done in opposi-
tion to them to the contrary notwithstanding.

It is also onr will that copies, whether mannscript or
printed, of these presents, signed by a Notary public, and
attested by the seal of a person constituted of ecclesias-
tical dignity, shall obtain the same credit and have the
same effect that the original would have if produced and
exhibited.

Given at Home, at St. Peters, under the Fisherman's
King, the 13th day of September, 1859, in the fourteenth
year of our Pontificate.

For His Eminence Gabdinal Maochi.

Jo. B. Brancaleoni,
Gastellani, SuM,

5t^* The above is stamped with the seal of the Apofr
iolic Nunciature and certified as follows :

" It agrees with the original

Paris, June 6th, 1861.

F. Xav. Gompieta,

Sec, Apost, NunciaL

The above is a correct translation of the originaL

Wm. Stabbs, Adm*r.
New York, March 8, 1864.

INTRODUCTION.

The spirit of au association is to be found particularly
in its rule, and if it extend, and be perpetuated, it becomes
necessary to fix its usages by positive regulations, and not
to leave the observance of them to depend any longer
upon the interpretation of individuals, necessarily variable
as it would be. This it was which, eighteen years ago,
made the early members of the Society of St. Vincent de
Paul draw up the Rule which, saving such modifications
in the details as time has necessarily brought into it, gov-
erns it up to the present day.

But in order that a rule should last, it is not of less
consequence to know its precise purposes than its general
tendencies; for, if the letter should never destroy the
spirit, nevertheless the former is an element necessary to
the understanding of the primitive and fundamental idea.

But, for a long time past, complaints have been made in
the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, that the Rule itself is
not understood ; that its articles^ although placed under
every eye, are not Jcnown ; and consequently that old tra-
ditions are very often departed from unintentionally. As
this evil actually exists, it has been considered that it
would be easily remedied by publishing some explanatory
notes upon the different articles of the General Rule. By
tollecting under each article the passages of thf^ Circulars

INTRODUCTION.

But, for a long time past, complaints have been made in
the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, that the Rule itself is
not understood ; that its articles^ although placed under
every eye, are not known ; and consequently that old tra-
ditions are very often departed from unintentionally. As
this evil actually exists, it has been considered that it
would be easily remedied by publishing some explanatory
notes upon the different articles of the General Rule. By

tollecting under each article the passages of thf^ Circulars

6 INTRODCCmON,

which refer to it, the usages made sacred by tradition, the
additions made by force of circumstances, it is hoped that
a new interest will be given to the reading of these arti-
cles, naturally somewhat dry as they are, and that conse-
•juently they will be resorted to more frequently in the
Conferences and by the members themselves.

This is the sole motive of the following pages. The in-
tention in getting them up was not by any means to de-
vote one's self to a minute and subtle study of texts, but
to bring out plainly the spirit of the Society, which, with-
out doubt, is still more strongly expressed in the general
considerations prefixed to the Rule, and which is also
visible in each of the articles. The perusM of this wiD
probably be more and more convincing that this spirit is one
of entire simplicity, cordiality, self-denial, and in this sense
it will certainly be useful. That it may fructify more, it
is dedicated to the Immaculate Patroness of our Society
the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, one of whose principal fes-
tivals the Church celebrates to-day.

2l8t November, 1853,

Feast of the Presentation ot

The Bleeeed Virgte.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

UPON

THE GENERAL RULE

Article 1. — All Christian young men who de-
Bire to unite in a communion of prayers and a
participation of the same works of charity, may
become members of the Society of Sain<- "^^'^oent
de Paul, wherever they may happen to reside.

This article, the object of which is to set forth the aim
and the nature of the Society, contains many points of the
highest importance.

Firstly, it recalls to mind that the Society of St. Yin-
cent de Paul has been founded by young men and far
them ; it is with a view of preserving them from the dan-
gers of every kind that surround them at the commence-
ment of their career, that Conferences have been organized ;
and if, at a later time, men of more advanced age have
come to join themselves to them, and to bring to them
the tribute of their experience, we should not be the less
mindful of the original aim of the Society, and we should
seek, as much as possible, to attract to it young men,
those especially who, far from their own families, have
need of being surrounded by a pious circle to make them
persevere in good. — {Circular oj Ist November^ 1851, ^a^d
862.)

It results, moreover, from this article, that the Confer-
ences are intended for men only ; that women cannot take
part in them, either as active or as honorary members.
by a natural consequence, the works of women, although

8 KXPLAl^ATORY NOTES

founded upon a rule analogous to that of the men, cannot
be aggregated to the Society, Conferences may have
charitable relations with them, may adopt the cases of the
poor whom they recommend, and may recommend others
to them in turn ; but they must keep separate their gov-
ernment, their resources, their meetings. It will be seen
further on, that women can become benefactresses to the
Society, and in that relation participate in numerous In
dulgences.

The article adds that the members must be Christians^
and the 18th article confirms it by adding, that " each
member should be careful not to introduce into the Society
any one who will not edify his fellow-members or be edi-
fied by them. All should strive to love each other, and
the poor like brothers." The Council-General, interpret-
ing the rule, has always understood that this condition
could not be coLsidered as fulfilled but among men, Chris-
tians not only in feeling but in practice, fulfilling all the
duties prescribed by the Church, and especially the Pas-
chal duty. On this subject almost all the Gircula/rs may
be consulted, in particular those of the \Wh July^ 1841,
and of the ^\st May^ 1846. Good sense, moreover, proves
it in an evident manner. One of the aims of the Society
being to make the poor better men and better Christians,
how can one effect this if he is not so himself, and how
can he inculcate duties which he does not discharge ?

It is, moreover, to be remarked, that the primary ob-
ject which the Society proposes to its members, is their
own edification. If they meet together, if they visit the
poor, the first object is to make each other better hy an
union in prayer. The aim of the Conferences is not,
then, philanthropy, the alleviation — very praiseworthy,
no doubt, but purely human — of the sufferings of the
poor ; their aim is zeal for the salvation of souls, and in
particular for the souls of the members themselves. This
is a point which must never be lost sight of, for numerous
consequences spring from it, especially in the selection of
the works to be undertaken by Conferences, which ought
all to tend towards the sanctification of the members en-
gaged in them.

Still, if charitable works are not the primary object of
the Society, they are the principal m(^ans made use of to
attain that oD'ect. There are some associations which

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 9

are conducive to the sanctification of those engaged in
them, as pious congregations, by their frequent and pro-
longed prayers ; there are others that strive to the same
end by charitable exercises and by penance united to
prayer, such as the Third Orders. The Society of St.
Vincent de Paul has not so high an aim; it does not
aspire to be a congregation, a confraternity, a Third Or-
der ; it is no more than a pious assembly of Christians
living in the world, and desiring to put their purity «nder
the shelter of charity. To ask more for it would be to
X)ervert its character and its institution.

The Council-General has been consulted several times
to know if it were expedient to admit as members persons
who were not above want. It has always replied in the
negative (see the Circular of the 14:th July^ 1 841 ) . Doubt-
less it is not necessary to be favored by fortune in order
to take part in the Society, "With regard to this, much
consideration must be given to the locality in which the
particular conference accomplishes its works. For exam-
ple : the conditions could not be absolutely the same in a
poor country district as in a large city ; but it is always
of consequence that the member should be in a position
to help the poor in some degree, however small, and
should never have need to be himself assisted. Every one
can comprehend the inconvenience which may arise from
a contrary usage.

The last words of the article which occupies our atten-
tion, " in whatsoever country found," add a new feature
most essential to the Society — that is, its universality.
Intimately united to the Church, its ambition is to serve
it, everywhere and forever, without distinction of race or
of country, without difference of language or of govern-
ment. If there be any thing which can unite men by a
bond, at once the strongest and the purest, surely it is
charity, that eternal charm of angels and of men, as St,
Vincent de Paul called it.

2. — 'jSo work of charity should be regarded as
foreign to the Society, although its special ob-
ject is to visit poor families. Thus, its member
are expected to embrace every opportunity of

10 EXPLANATORY NOTEtt

affording consolation to the sick and to prison-
el's, of instructing poor, unprotected, or impris-
oned children, and of procuring the succors of
religion for those who need them, at the hour of
death.

In this is presented an application of the principle al-
ready referred to — namely, that the Society, above all
things, aims at the sanctification of its members. IfJ in
fact, visiting poor families is its most special, indeed, its
fundamental work, it is because that is the work which is
the most conducive to the edification of the members, and
that which is most within their reach. Undoubtedly, it
is very meritorious to undertake the patronage of chil-
dren, or to facilitate marriages among the poor, but the
exercise of these works has not the same practical effect
upon the members as visiting the poor in their garrets,
their cellars, or their cabins. To undertake these works,
it is necessary, in some sort, to have carried out the visit-
ing of the poor; otherwise, insurmountable difficulties
would arise in them, were it but those of inexperience
alone, and members would get a distaste for these works,
whether on account of being frustrated in them, or be-
cause too much time was absorbed in them. On the
other hand, visiting the poor attaches one to it, captivates
one, because it always produces immediate results, mate-
rial relief; it is easily practised, and requires but little
time. For all these reasons, it ought to be the favorite
work of a society composed of men who live in the world,
and are engaged in numerous occupations; and this is
why the Circulars constantly recommend it.

It is well to remark, also, that if no work of charity
should be regarded as foreign to the Society, this expres-
sion is always to be understood with this reservation,
that the work should he suited to the special character of
the Society, Thus it has constantly been regarded as an
imperative rule, not to undertake any work relating to
females, particularly such as are young and live alone.
The Society leaves the care of them, as well as the pat-
ronage of schools for young girls, to ladies' associations,
or to the i]\defatigable zeal of the c^'ergy. Moreover,

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 11

when commencing new works, the rules of prudence
should never be forgotten. It is most desirable that
every Conference should exert itself to add some new
work to those already in operation; but in doing so,
the step should be taken without precipitation, and when
the necessary means exist. Our rule should be, neither
tepi iity nor rashness.

3. — ^When several members of the Society
are found in any locality, they meet to encour-
age each other in the practice of virtue. This
meeting *is called a Conference^ the name origi-
nally given to the Society itself.

The Circular of the 1st December, 1842, referring to
the origin of the title given to our meetings, of Confer-
encea^ which is that usually given at Paris to literary as-
semblies of young people, insists very earnestly that the
Society should occupy itself exclusively with practiairhg.
charity, instead of discussing systems for the relief of the
poor. It will be useful to repeat here that passage which
puts forward one of the essential points of our organiza-
tion : " It is not our office to instruct each other by dis-
courses, but it is to give examples for mutual edification.
Do not allow the spirit of discussion, the habits of the
tribune, to get among us. "We do not mean to find fault
with this spirit in itself; discussion is good and necessary,
when used in places and applied to subjects which need
it, but our Society is a working society; it should do
much, and speak little. Let us leave to our officers, to
our councils, the troublesome task of discussing whatever
is susceptible of debate ; let our Conferences, in a body,
keep for themselves the consoling charge of good works."

Every Conference which desires to obtain admission
into the Society must solicit aggregation from the Couq-
cil-General, adding to its request a list of its members, an
account of its first works, as well as the date of its formar
tion, and an expression of its intention to conform to the
regulations and usages of the Society. This request is
forwarded directly, if the Conference be in a town where
there is neither a Particular, a Central, nor an Upper

12 EXPLANATORY KOTES

Council ; otherwise it is forwarded by the pioiier Conn'
cil, who add a favorable or unfavorable opinion upon it.

If the aggregation be advisable, the Council-General
declares it. By the simple fact of this aggregation the
new Conference participates in the Indulgences granted
by the Holy See. Without the completion of this indis-
pensable formality, it would be deprived of them.

Moreover, nothing is more useful than this organization.
If there were not unity in the aggregations, the Society
would be very quickly liable to become a mere agglomer-
ation of several associations, having no spirit in common,
possessing an identity in name only, and in which the
most experienced eye could not detect the signs of rela-
tionship. The recommendations of the different local
Councils, when they exist, is also a useful precaution,
since it guarantees to the Council-General the good inter-
nal organization of the new Conferences, which coold
only be known upon the spot.

4. — Should several Conferences be formed in
the same town, each takes the name of the par-
ish where its members meet, and the several
Conferences are united by a Particular Coun-
cil^ which takes the name of the town itself.

The principle laid down by Article 4, of the parochia]
-denomination ^ven to the Conferences, is a result of the
•essentially Catholic character of the Society. As an obe-
-dient child of the Church, it connects itself as much as is
possible to her imperishable hierarchy.

5- — All the Conferences of the Society are
united by a Council-General.

Thi« is the place to explain shortly the organization of
flie Society.

its foundations are the Conferences, which are occupied
in practical works.

*Over the Conferences, where there are several in the
same town, is a Particular Council, the constitution of
which will appear farther on.

Over the Particular Council fas well as over isolated

OV THE GENERAL RULE. 13

r >nferences) is either a Central Council or an Upper
Council, embracing within its circumscription the Confer-
ences of several dioceses or of an entire country.

In fine, a Council-General, the centre of the whole So-
ciety, being a bond of union, a means of unity, and de-
voting the time and zeal of its members to the common
interest.

In this way, each Conference is not isolated, and is not
left to itself alone. It has not to form its rule, its tradi-
tions, without taking advice of any one ; on the contrary,
it forms part of a great Society, between the members of
which there exists unity of heart, of intention, of customs ;
it rests upon the experience of other Conferences, upon
the enlightened decisions of the different Councils ; and
while, in carrying out its own works, it preserves the
fullest liberty of action, it enjoys the benefits of a direction
common to and accepted by all.

Need it be added, that the authority of the different
Councils, from the Particular Council up to the Council-
General, is an actual authority, only because it is sponta-
neously accepted, and* that persuasion and good example
are the surest, not to say the solo means of supportmg
their authority. The Church, nevertlieless, has wished to
give strength to these ties in the manner which is the
most effectual for Christians, by granting most valuable
Indulgences to Conferences and Councils instituted by the
Council-General. This is the object of the two Briefs of
the 10th January and 12th August, 1845.

14 EXFLANATORr NOTES

CHAPTER I.

THE CONFERENCES.

6. — ^The Conferences meet upon such days
and at sucli hours as they themselves may ap-
point.

The fullest latitude is allowed in this matter to the
Conferences themselves, for nothing is more variable than
the convenience of different localities, and it is of great
importance that choice should be made of a day which is
the most convenient to the greatest number ; otherwise
the meetings would run the risk of being little frequented,
and consequently zeal and charity would relax.

This is, however, the occasion to be precise upon a
point to which the Council-General attaches much im-
portance — that is, the weekly periodical occurrence of
the meetings. As the rules do not lay down this period
expressly, an inference has been sometimes drawn, that
meetings need only take place every fortnight or every
month. Except rural Conferences, where, on account of
the distance, the difficulty of the roads, or different local
circumstances, meetings every eight days would be at
times too troublesome, the Council-General has not ceased
to exhort Conferences to meet every eight days, as has
been the rule since the commencement of the Society, and
as it is almost the universal practice. The object of our
meetings is, as has been already said, to form, above all
things. Christian relations among the members, and to
strengthen them in piety by mutual good example. But
a meeting every fortnight, and still more, every month, is
inadequate to such a result, when, moreover, deductions
must be made for the absences, more or less numerous, to
which sickness, business, or travelling, cannot fail to com-
pel members. The result would be, that at the end of a
year they would scarcely have seen, scarcely have known

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 15

each other; and many years may go on in this way with-
out that Christian intimacy which the Society has in
view, being formed among the members. Thus the Con-
ferences in which the meetings are far apart, are more
cold and more languishing. In the others, on the contra-
ry, a greater affection becomes felt towards the brothei's,
and the work which is in common among them, because
they meet together for it oftener ; and they assist in it
with greater assiduity, because that assiduity becomes
more habitual, and because they feel greater satisfaction
in it. Moreover, the interests of the poor are better cared
for when meetings which are to be occupied with them
take place every eight days, and the treasury of the Con-
ference is better furnished, because the collection, made
oftener, becomes of necessity more abundant. The
strongest reasons concur, then, in favor of meeting weekly,
and it is desirable that for towns it should be the rule
without any exception. But even when a departure from
this custom is necessary, as in certain rural districts, it is
important to remark that the visit to the poor should al-
ways be weekly. Without a visit made at least once a
week, it would be almost impossible to have a constant
knowledge of the wants of the poor, and to acquire over
them an influence which would be salutary for the ame-
lioration of their habits.

7. — ^The Conferences should endeavor to carry
on a correspondence with each other for their
mutual edification and support, and that they
may be able, whenever necessary, to recommend
to the kind offices of each other, either the mem-
bers themselves of the Society, or other young
men, or the poor families who change their
places of abode.

The habit of frequent communication between one
Conference and another is one of those which has con-
tributed most to the development of the Society, and
which should be most sedulously kept up. Relations will
be perhaps less intimate as the Society progresses than at
the time when it was exchanged between seven or eight

16 EXPLANATORY NOTES

Conferences, formed by persons all of whom were mu-
tually acquainted; but it ought not to have less cordiality
and freedom, since, as has been said, the Society of St.
Vincent de Paul is a ready-made friendship, and in enter-
ing into it, one, as it were, comes among a closely united
family eiixjle. It is, moreover, to facilitate these familiar
intercommunications, that the Society has been subdivided
as has been shown already. The Conferences, being
formed into groups under Central Councils and Upper
Councils, should consider that it is by no means intended
to segregate each from the common and the sole centre,
the Council-General, but to bring them together one to
another ; for, among twelve hundred Conferences spread
over all the world, intimate relations are not possible in
reality, and they can only have very rare occasions of
communication; but between twenty or thirty Confer-
ences near each other, these communications should be as
frequent as they are easy.

The object of this correspondence is, before every thing,
to give mutual edification, to communicate to each other
the good which each witnesses ; thus the blessed innova-
tions of zeal do not remain isolated, but become propa-
gated, and thereby works become general and are ex-
tended. This is then a cardinal point in the Society of
St. Vincent de Paul, since that which is most wanted in
what is good, is not that it should be practised by this
one or that, but that it should be known to all, in order
that it may bo put into application by all those who de-
sire to do so. These intercommunications take place by
means of the visits of members, by printed reports, or
still further, through the Circulars, the General Report,
and the Monthly Bulletin of the Society. Of course, all
these communications ought to be simple, modest, and
should never become, either for the members or for the
Society, a subject from which may be di'awn any vain
glory for the little good done. St. Vincent de Paul de-
sired that his missionaries should preach simply, and that
^they should not preach themselves, to use his own ex-
pression ; for a much stronger reason would he have had
•a horror of seeing those of his disciples who are the last
■comers and the least zealous, taking glory to themselves
>for some most trivial works.

Further, the relations of one Conference to anothei

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 17

nave for their aim the recommendation of jcung men
-who leave their families to settle in a town where the
Society exists. Nothing is more useful than this custom.
How many young men there are who leave the paternal
roof well-disposed to remain pure, chaste, religious I
How many have promised it to their mothers, and have
promised it to themselves I Nevertheless, no sooner are
they settled in their new residence, than they lose all
their pious habits, and sink into shameful excesses ! The
fault is doubtless in their passions, but it is more particu-
larly in the Isolation in which they find themselves from
all pious companionship, from all Christian advice. For-
tified by example, they would have maintained their rec-
titude; left to themselves, they fall miserably. To give
to these young men, still practical Christians, a solid sup-
port, by means of good and pious associations, to form
pure companionship for them within the bosom of the
Conference, to bestow upon them encouragement, alas I
too necessary, what service is not this to do for re-
ligion, for their families, and for themselves I Confer-
ences are earnestly solicited to give tlieir best attention to
this, so that they should never omit to recommend to
other Conferences such of their members as go away, and
that they should give the most earaest welcome to young
persons who come to them furnished with similar recom-
mendations, and particularly that tliey may surround these
young men with those safeguards and those precautions
with which every father would wish to surround his son.

As to the poor who change their places of abode, it is
likewise a very laudable custom to recommend them mu-
tually. In this way the good may perhaps be finished in
another place ; only care must be taken that the removal
of the poor be not made lightly and without a serious pur-
pose, as is too often the case.

Nor should it be neglected to give recommendations to
workmen who are making their tour of France, in order
that they may be placed, as much as possible, in reputable
houses, and with honest and Christian employers. The
soldiers who are carried away by the conscription should
also be objects of the attentions of Conferences, in order
that Christian schools may be got up for them, where
they may be taught to read and write, and particuluily to
love God.

18 BXFLANATORT NOTES

§ 1. ORGANIZATION OF CONFERENCES.

8. — ^The business of each Conference is admin-
istered by a Spiritual Director, a President, one
or more Yice-Presidents, a Secretary, and a
Treasurer, who constitute the Council of the
Conference. There may be also in each Confer-
ence, if necessary, a Librarian, a Keeper of the
Clothes Room, or other officers.

Article 8 enumerates the different officers of the Con-
ferences, and it divides them into two categories — those
who form the Council, to whom more particularly belongs
the direction of the Conference, and those who fulfil cer-
tain accessory functions.

The Council of the Conference has, practically, a very
gi'eat importance, particularly in such Conferences as are
not under a Particular Council. It has to consider care-
fully the principal questions which belong to the business
of the Conference, to prepare the matters which are to be
submitted, in order to make its decisions clear and to
shorten discussions. Although the Rule does not direct
it, yet it is desirable that the meetings of the Council
should be so frequent as that they should have an actual
efficiency ; but it is necessary to remark that, according
to the spirit of the Rule, the Council has only to prepare
the business for the Conference, to consider all projects
carefully, and that it is for the Conference itself to decide,
especially in the towns where a Particular Council is not
in existence. To proceed otherwise would be to annul
often the actual life of the Conference, and to take away
all interest from its meetings.

9. — ^The President is elected by the Confer-
ence. Tlie other officers are appointed by the
President, with the advice of his Council.
However, as is said further on, in the towi?

PN THE GENERAL RULE. 19

wliere there is a Council of Direction, the Pres-
idents, Yice-Presidents, and other officers of the
Conferences, are appointed by the President of
the Council. The Spiritual Director is always
appointed by the Bishop or Archbishop of the
Diocese.

Two cases may present themselves for the nomination
of the President of a Conference ; one, where there is but
a single Conference in a town, and the other, where there
is a Particular Council acting as a link between several
Conferences.

In the first case, the Conference elects its President
itself, and it cannot be otherwise. It is to be remarked,
that this election is not made for a limited period, but for
an indefinite time. This arrangement has, in some in-
stances, been the subject of criticism on the part of some
Conferences ; they have feared that thereby there would
be placed forever at the head of Conferences, oflBcers
whose intelligence or whose zeal would not meet every
requirement ; that, consequently, the progress of the Con-
ference would be impeded through it, and that the poor
would come to sutfer by it. These fears have certainly
some foundation, but the Council-General has always
found them less serious than the inconveniences of an
election. It is rare, in the first place, that an annual
election, unless it be a mere matter of form, should not be
a cause of a certain agitation, and in periods of dissension,
political or other\^ise, which may have to be passed
through, that agitation may injure seriously the internal
peace of the Conference. There might, besides, on ac-
count of these elections, be formed in the heart of an as-
sembly, formerly the most tranquil, parties and little
cabals. Preferences and antipathies might be engendered,
find nothing could be more fatal to a work of charity.
Then, is not the spirit of preservation and of permanence
necessary for the direction of any work whatsoever ; and
if a President knows that he is nominated for one year
only, can he so easily undertake works of long duration,
the FaVronage of a^rentices, the Holy Family^ etc.?
Perhaps his successor may lead the Conference in another

20 EXPLANATORY NOTES

direction, and that would he then for him a reason for at*
tempting nothing. Finally, in a Christian work, where
the offices are charges and not distinctions, onera^ non
munera^ if a president does really retard the progress of
the work, are there not a thousand modes of charitably
letting him know it? The experience of twenty years
has many times proved that, without offending an honor-
able brother, it was possible to lead him thus to a retire-
ment, which to him was but a rest long desired. For all
these reasons, the Council-General has always opposed
the system of annual elections, and, thanks to the affec-
tion which the Conferences have for its advice, this sys-
tem is tending more and more to disappear.

The other officers of the Council are named in these
Conferences by the President, with the advice of the
Council. It appeared that this was the mode to preserve
more unity in the direction, and not to multiply elections
too much.

In the second case, that of several Conferences connect-
ed by a Particular Council, the nomination of the Presi-
dents and Vice-Presidents of Conferences belongs to the
President of that Council. Article 31 says that these ap-
pointments ought to be made by the President, with the
advice of his Council. This arrangement has for its ob-
ject to draw closer among ihe different Conferences the
bonds of fraternity, and to maintain a imity of spirit by
means of an appomtment emanating from a common au-
thority. It may occur, indeed, that in the heart of the
same town, divergent tendencies may manifest themselves
among different Conferences ; that one, for example,
should incline towards the mode of proceeding of a Con-
fraternity, another towards the usages of a mere relieving
society ; that this one would be too rigorous in the ad-
mission of its members, that too indulgent. The nomina-
tion of the Presidents of Conferences by the President of
the Council wears away all these inequalities little by
little and gently, and succeeds, through selections pru-
dently arranged between the President and his Council,
in blending these shades of difference in one common
spirit, — that of the Society. Lastly, it is easier to study
the peculiar fitness of such or such a candidate in a Oouo-
oil where the conversation is familiar, and where there
gre but few present, than in a Conference whwe there ii

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 21

greater publicity, and where every objection io the choice
proposed may take the appearance of personality.

Finally, whatever may be the mode of appointment of
the President, the importance of the selection cannot be
too much insisted upon. While the President should
never be in the Conference but as a kind of elder brother,
the primus inter pa/res^ experience proves that what a
President is^ so is the Conference, *In order that a Presi-
dent should discharge his duties adequately, it should be
considered not so much whether he enjoys a well-deserved
position in the locality, or whether he is rich and gener-
ous, but much rather whether he possesses the personal
qualities which are indispensable. Thus, above all, he
must have leisure to occupy himself with the Conference,
for an honorary presidency is always a barren one ; he
should have zeal^ which often makes leisure ; he should
also have energy of mind as well as maturity of judg-
ment ; he should be animated with the spirit of the
works, in order that he may know how to surmount the
difficulties which the exercise of works of charity pre-
sents, in place of being frightened by them ; he should
have a conciliatory spirit^ to prevent or to appease differ-
ences, and, in fine, that piety and lively faith^ which
know how to spread abroad, and which grow strong be-
cause they draw down God's blessings.

The constant usage of the Society (with some excep-
tions, which were almost always temporary), has been to
confer the Presidentship of Conferences upon simple lay-
men. It is thus that the Society has been constituted,
and has been approved of by the Holy See. But from
the circumstance that the Presidency has not devolved
upon ecclesiastics, it by no means follows tliat those
among them who do U3 the honor of joining our ranks,
not only as honorary members, but as active members,
should not be received in them with the utmost gratitude.
This is a point which the Circular of the 31st May treats
of in the fullest manner. — (Page 250 oi i\i&*Manual.)

10. — The President directs the business of the
Conference, receives and submits propositions,
calls meetings, if necessary, and watches over
the execution of the rules and the decisions of

22 EXPLANATORY NOTES

the Society. In case of absence, he intrusts his
duties to a Vice-President.

11. — ^The Secretary prepares the minutes of
the meetings. He keeps a registry of the names,
professions, and residences of the members, of
the dates of their admission, and the names of
those by whom they were proposed. He keeps
an exact account of all the families visited.
He makes diligent inquiiy concerning those
recommended for relief, so that the Conference
may not, if possible, visit any family which is
not worthy of its sympathy and support. He
notes any changes that occur in the families
visited, or in the members who visit them.

The President of a Conference is, in some sort, the soul
of it ; but he should not, however, absorb, through excess
of zeal, the activity of the Conference in his own. It is
well that he should watch over and superintend all that
is done of importance, and that he should take his part
in it, by his advice at least; but it is not desirable that
he should overtask himself, and that he should take upon
himself alone all the burden ; for he would make, in
some sort, his functions impossible to a successor some-
what more occupied, and he would destroy the ^eal of the
other members by thus always substituting his own for it

When the President is absent, especially for some time,
it should be understood that the Vice-President has all
his powers, and stands entirely in Ms 'place. A Confer-
ence should never stand still for want of a member, and
this would be the case if they did not venture to do any
thing in the President's absence. It is therefore not alone
his rights but it is a conscientious duty on the part of the
Vice-President to supply fully the place of the President
when absent or prevented from attending, in order that,
when the latter shall return, he may not find that all has
been languishing for want of him.

Tliis remarl: concerns not only the Conferences alone ;

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 23

it is applicable also, for stronger reasons, to Particular,
Central, and Upper Councils, and above all, to the Coun-
cil-General. In an undertaking, we must always have
the undertaking in view, not the men.

The functions of the Secretary deserve special men-
tion, notwithstanding that they are of less importance
than those of the President ; for if the President nas all
' the direction upon his shoulders, the Secretary carries out
the retails. Upon his exactness or upon his negligence
depends consequently a number of good things or of little
irregularities.

Thus, when the Secretary is absent or comes late, the
minutes are either not read at all, or are not read at the
time fixed by the Rule, which is, in fact, the most conve-
nient time. When he does not keep an exact note of
tlie admission of members, of the adoption of families,
of the names of visitors, the result is a grave irregularity ;
now, families long forgotten suffer from being neglected ;
now, there are others who receive double relief; and
these inaccuracies greatly interfere with the regular busi
ness of the meetings.

Nothing would be more contrary to the usages of a so-
ciety which is entirely voluntary, than finical habits, in
imitation of the modes of proceedings of a public depart-
ment, or of what is commonly called " red-tapeism ;'*
thus the Council-General cannot do too much to lead
away Conferences from every thing which would have
this stamp upon it, and to recommend them to do every
thing simply, without voluminous registers or multiplied
forms ; for otherwise the spirit of our dear Conferences
would receive a serious injury from it. But simplicity in
proceedings does not exclude order — quite the contrary ;
and precisely because things are done in a short time,
they should be well arranged.

This is the spirit iu which a Secretary ought to under-
stand his duties. Thus, the register of the poor should
always be kept up to the current time : opposite to the
name and address of each family, and of the ordinary
relief which they have been allowed, an entry should be
made in a column of observations of the creditable cir-
cumstances which concern this family, the principal re-
marks made by the visitors, and of every assistance more
than ordinary which has been granted to them. Such a

24 KXPLANATORl NOTES

register Avoukl occupy scarcely a quarter of an hour
weekly to keep it up ; and yet, it may be very useful for
tiie proper guidance of the Conference, and especially for
new visitors, who would find in it valuable information as
to the poor intrusted them.

12. — ^Tlie Treasurer has the care of the funds,
and takes at each meeting an exact account of
the receipts and disbursements.

This article is of greater utility than one would imagine
at first, and Conferences are requested to follow it to the
letter ; on the one hand, because by keeping the state of
the treasury each time under the eyes of the members, it
induces each to proportion his demands to it resources,
and on the other, because it guards against errors. Con-
ferences, then, will do wisely not to depart from the
terms of the weekly account being rendered by the
Treasurer, as has sometimes been done for greater sim-
plicity. But what is of more importance still, is never to
fall into arrear with the purveyors. Besides that the
price of provisions, and that of bread x>articularly, varies
very often, and that if the Kule were departed from, it
may give rise to disputes, it is dangerous for Conferences
to allow debts to accumulate, and it may be, at some par-
ticular moment, a cause of great embarrassment. It is
much better to pay ready money — it is the surest and the
simplest way.

The investment of funds, when a Conference has re-
ceived some sums of money which exceed the current ex-
penditure, deserves also some attention. We do not speak
of a perpetual investment of capital, which would be
funded, and only the interest drawn, a course which
would bo very contrary to the spirit and to the traditions
of the Society. "We refer to those temporary investments
whicli, after a good lottery or a fruitful sermon, are made
for some months until the winter, with the d(mble view
of procuring for the poor some additional comforts, and
of assuring the preservation of the capital. Nothing pos-
itive can be said hero upon it ; but it seems to be prudent
for Conferences to invest rather in public than in private
securities, and to select those of fixed in preference to
those of fluctuating values. High rate of interest is of

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 25

much .ess consequence than complete security of the
capital, "and in critical times the money of the poor must
6e compromised as little as possible, and its recovery
should always be prompt and easy. Finally, the invest-
ment of unemployed funds is the business of the Confer-
ence, and without its vote the Treasurer cannot do it, un-
der the penalty of pledging his own moral responsibility.
Some Conferences have the habit of naming, at the
Treasurer's request, a committe yearly for the verifica-
tion of the accounts. This usage appears to be a very
wise one, and Treasurers ought to adhere to it, as it pro-
tects their responsibility. Now-a-days, besides, it is of
scarcely less importance to prove that one is correct than
to be so in fact.

13. — The Librarian collects instructive books
adapted to the capacity of the persons* relieved
by the Conference, and keeps an account of all
books lent or bestowed.

14. — ^The keeper of the wardrobe collects the
clothes for the poor, and keeps a regular account
of them.

The importance of a library for the poor, recoojnized as
it has been from the oripjin of the Society, is still greater
to-day than formerly. Tlie duties of a Librarian are then
very serious, and the Conference should support in every
way in their power the brother who devotes himself to it.
It seems natural that the Librarian should be intrusted
with the distribution at the meetings, of the Little Lec-
tures {Petites Lectures)^ which it is so useful to have done
continuously and regularly.

The wardrobe should be tlie object of the most particu-
lar care on the part of the Conferences; for the poor are
as often in want of clothes as of food, and to obtain them
one must often expend his trouble rather than his money.
In the first place, the Conference must be often reminded
of the wants of the wardrobe, always drawn upon, and a
place above all others badly furnished ; so, when an offer
is made, we should avail ourselves of it quickly, and not
let the occasion slip. When the clothing is brought to-

26 KXPLANATORT NOTES

getlier there is a good deal of time required for repairing,
and it is here that tlie help of pious women is very precious
for canning out a crowd of details which men do not un-
derstand. In fine, it is necessary at times, as, for instance,
in some towns, to organize searches in every house, to
collect, with, it is to be understood, of course, the assent
of the proprietors, all the old lumber which is lying by in
garret', iiom the old broken article of furniture or torn
hangings, for which use would soon be found, to the
pieces of linen so needful to the sick. The wardrobe may
often cost very little, and yet be well filled. Then it is of
immense service. For the sick, it provides old linen and
changes; to the poor, who are in want of bedding, it
affords the means of separating children of diflferent
fioxes. What benefit is not a warm blanket, or a clean
<.hcet, a dress, or a coat! It is often worth health, life
Uself, som'etimea also the means of livelihood; for how
many of the poor there are who cannot obtain situations
cor want of suitable clothing !

§ II ORDER OF THE MEETINGS.

15. — ^Tlie Spiritual Director, or in his absence
the President, opens each meeting with the
prayer, Veni /Sancie Sjnritus^ followed by the
Prayer^ with the Ave Maria^ and Invocation
of St, Vincent de Paul, A portion of some
pious book selected by the Spiritual Director or
President is then read. Each member is called
upon in turn to perform this duty. The duty of
|>rayer and pious reading should be discharged
with the most serious attention; the spiritual
good of the members being as much the object
of tlio Society as the relief of the poor.

Prayer is an essential portion of the business of the
meetings, and should never be omitted, as it brings t<>
mind one of the distinctive characteristics of the Society,

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 27

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic work,
and to draw down the blessings of God upon its labors, it
should always endeavor to sanctify them. The prayer,
too, should be gone through without human respect, ui)on
bended knees ; for he would very badly comprehend the
humility which the service of the poor requires who wonlvl
be unwilling to bend his knee in pubhc before his God.

The pious reading should be made with attention, and
should be neither too long nor too short ; not too long,
for fear of prolonging the meeting too much; nor too
short, because the piety of the members should be nour-
ished. The selection of the book from which the reading
should be made belongs to the Spiritual Director ; but of
course the book ought to treat only of Christian and chari-
table subjects. In a certain old Conference, it has become
a habit, that any member who in the course of his own
reading meets with some passages worth remarking, and
of a nature to edify his brothers, communicates them to
the President, and with his assent reads them. This cus-
tom is a very good one, and deserves to be extended.

The works most used among the Conferences, for the
pious reading, are the Holy Gospels^ the Imitation of
Christy the Introduction to a Devout Life^ the Manual
of Charity by the Abbe Mullois, the Lectures^ and Coun-
seU. It is also very useful to read now and again, at least
once a year, the whole of the Rules, the Circulars of the
Council-General, and this Commentary.

16. — ^The Secretary reads the minutes of the
preceding meeting. Each member is at liberty
to make observations upon them.

The minutes ought to contain all that occurs of im-
portance at the meetings, and particularly whatever may
serve as a precedent; but they should be drawn up as
simply and as shortly as is possible. They will thus bo
more to every one's taste.

17. — If there be occasion, the President an-
nounces the admission of candidates proposed at
the preceding meeting, and invites their pro-
posers to inform them of it.

28 EXPLANATORY K0TE8

18. — ^The President then announces tlie names
of new candidates, should any such have been
presented. Members who have any observa-
tions to make in relation to the candidates, com-
municate such in writing, or verbally, to the
President, in the interval between the meeting
at which the names are announced and that
which follows next after. If no observations
have been made, the admission of the member
proposed takes place at the latter xneeting.
Each member should be careful not to introduce
into the Society any one who will not edify his
fellow-members, or be edified by them, and
who will not endeavor to love hi& colleagues
and the poor as brothers.

These two articles, which should be considered to-
gether, indicate the principal points in the forms to be
followed in the admission of candidates. The points
which they put most prominently forward are the fol-
lowing:

1st. The proposal ought to be made, in the first in-
stance, to the President in private ; for Article 18 lays it
down that it is the President who announeea the naifnes of
the candidates who have heen proposed. The Circular of
the 14th of July, 1841, explaining this passage, is to the
following effect: "Moreover, we request that before pro-
posing a candidate, those who propose him should never
fail to confer on the matter with the President, who is
specially charged with the direction and with the honor
of the Conference;" and the Circular of the 1st of No-
vember, 1852, taking up the subject again, aids these re-
jrtections : " It is easy to understand how wise these direc-
tions are; for, if those who are proposing a candidate, in
place of speaking of the matter in private with tlie Presi-
dent, began, as we see done too often, by proposing hira
publicly to the Conference, it would be much more diffi-
cult to prevent an admission which may be little to be

ON THE GENERAL BULE. 29

deaired. ... If, on the contrary, the pioposal is
made always after an understanding with tlvj President,
it is to be presumed that it is done because it ought to be
done."

2diy. Every member is free to make observations uponi
the candidate; but these observations ought not to be*
made during the meeting. In public, any discussion of a
particular name, every hesitation, every q-u-estion, would
assume the appearance of a personality^ If the habit
were adopted of making observations in this manner, un-
less there were grave objections to make to the candidate,
oach one would ignore his own opinion, would hold his
peace, only to give way to his regret apart from the
others ; whence it would result that, without the cordial
assent of all, admissions would take place of some who
should not be received, but whom one would shrink from
objecting to publicly ; whence, consequently, in the Con-
ferences there would be absence of unanimity and of cor-
dial co-operation, and sometimes even defections would
take place.

Now, what should be the course to adopt if serious ob-
)ections have been laid before the President? In such a
case, the duty of the President is to have an explanation
on the subject, in a free and perfectly cordial manner,
with the proposing member, to induce him to withdraw
the party proposed, if the opposition be serious and well
founded. Nevertheless, it may occur that there would
be differences upon that pdnf between the President and
the member who has made the proposal ; in such a case
the President will do well to consult with his Council, or
even that of the Particular Council of the town, if there
be one, and to fortify himself with their advice. It is
then to be presumed that this mediatory opinion will be
listened to, and that it will be easy to come to an under-
standing; but if, unfortunately, the difference of opinion
should still continue, it can be put an end to only by a
vote of the Conference — a final resort which is of very
rare occurrence, and which ought always to be so.

But if no opposition arise, in that case, which is the
most general, the President has not, according to Article
17, to call for a vote; he has simply to state that the
proposed candidate has not been the subject of any ob-
servation, and to announce his admission. Open voting

30 EXPLANATORY NOTES

would have grave inconveniences, and a ballot would be
a solemn proceeding little in accordance with the simple
habits of a Conference.

3dly. Besides tlie general condition which we have
enumerated, for the proposal of candidates. Article 18
mentions one especially, which is, perhaps, too little at-
tended to : it says that tJie member should edify JiUfelhW'
members and be edified by them. This recommendation
is very important, because, if persons are induced to join
Conferences as members who do not find attractions in
them, who come there just to get through a duty, and be-
cause they are constrained to do it in some sort, zeal can-
not but grow cold. " The first qualification" (as is very
wisely stated in the Circular .of the 1st of November,
1847), " that a candidate ought'^hen to possess in present-
ing himself for admission into a Conference, is to attach a
very high value to the prosperity of the Society, not as-
suredly through pride, but through a deep feeling of
gratitude towards God, who has raised: up in our age this
plan, heretofore not thought of or not practised, of suc-
coring the poor, and at the same time of making those
who visit them better."

4thly. At the commencement of the Society, when a
new member was admitted, it was usual- for the President
to address an exhortation to him to explain tlie spirit of
our Conferences. Unfortunately this custom has not been
continued, and in consequence of the multiplicity of ad-
missions, it was difficult to put it in pmctice. But it
cannot be too much insisted on that a kind welcome
should be given to new-comers, that they should not be
allowed to take their seats incognito in the midst of the
Conference, that certain of the members should be evea
assigned to them, in order to lead them into tlie practical
business of our works ; upon this their perseverance often
depends. iMore, the President gives to the new member
a copy of the Manual of the Society, and exhorts him to
make himself perfectly acquainted with it by frequent pe-
rusal of it. How much better, and more quickly, too,

• would not the spirit of our Conferences spread among all
the members, if they were careful to read the Rules, the

''Circulars, the facts connected with the Society! In
place of guessing at our customs and our rules, and some-

' tinges arriving at a very incomplete notion of them, thejr

ON THE GENERAL KCLE. 31

would become speedily and completely acquainted with
them by such reading, which can never occupy much
time.

Some Conferences have believed that there would be
some advantage in giving to their members certificates to
attest that they belonged to the Society. ^

This measure presents many inconveniences in a Society
numerous and wide-spread as is that of St. Vincent de
Paul. Besides the danger of the fabrication of false cer-
tificates, is not the still greater danger to be apprehended
of seeing these certificates preserved during all their life-
time by men who may have abandoned their Conferences,
and who would hawk about with a personal, interested
view, these titles which had been too lightly conferred ?
Then, what are the advantages of these certificates ? It
is indeed not easy to say, for Avhen a member travels or
goes to another Conference, it is much preferable to fur-
nish him with a letter from his President. It is at once
simpler and safer.

5thly. It is well to call to mind that every member,
upon entering the Society, can gain a Plenary Indulgence
on tlie day of his admission, conformably to the Brief of
the 10th January, 1845. It would be greatly to be de-
sired that a member should never neglect this precious
favor, which would certainly be for him the pledge of
many other graces.

19. — ^The Treasurer announces the state of the
funds and the amount of the collection made at
the close of the preceding meeting, so that eacli
member may proportion his demands for reliel
to the resources of the Conference.

The spirit of the Rule, as may be perceived by the 19tL
Article, is never to allow the expenses of the Conferences
to get into arrear, but also not to lay up. It is in some
L^j sort the translation of that expression of our sacred writ-
t ings: "If you have much, give abundantly; but if you
Lave little, give a little, and the little thou hast, give
willingly." The works of the Conferences being entirely
optional, should be from day to day ; besides, nothing is
more Christian than to trust one^s self to Providence, and

32 EXPLANATORY NOTES

to count upon its inexhaustible care, when the work is
undertaken for God. To make a reserve, to have before
us a disposable capital which we never touch, to lay out
beforehand a budget as in a relief association, are pro-
ceedings essentially contrary to the spirit of our Society.
When it has any thing and it finds out a real case of mis-
ery, it gives bountifully and with a generous heart ; if it
has nothing, it appeals to the charity of its members, to
that of their friends, of the public ; and up to this day,
God has never permitted that this confidence should be
deceived.

20. — ^Tickets available for relief in kind, and
which vary according to the requirements of the
poor, are then distributed. Each member is
called upon in his turn by the President, and
mentions aloud what he applies for, and for how
many families. He gives, when called upon to
do so, detailed information about these families.
The relief should be punctually given to the
poor at their residences, before the next meeting.
But the members administering it may use their
own discretion, both as to the precise time,
number, and manner of their charitable visits,
and also as to the best means of introducing into
these families the love of religion and the prac-
tice of their duties. Should a member ask for
any rules to guide his conduct, or for advice in
difficult cases, he is heard with attention and
kindness, and receives from the President and
every other member such replies as their expe-
rience and charity suggest.

In some Conferences the power, not entirely absolute,
but very extensive, of asking for his poor whatever relief
tickets he may wisli for, is left to each member. It would

OK THE GENERAL RFLE. 8i

seem that this custom ought to be reformed ; for the nat
nraJ. inclination which leads a man to be more moved with
pity for the misery which comes directly under his own
eye, the pleasure of giving to his poor more than on
former occasions, a certain timidity, in fine, in the pres-
ence of reiterated importunities, easily lead members to
swell their demands ; and from this there necessarily re-
sults an injury to the equitable distribution of relief; for
when each member fixes at his own discretion the allow-
ances of his own poor, it is not possible that he should
not make his demands with more or less ardor, according
to his character, and that inequalities, much to be re-
gretted, should not be established among the different
families. It is, therefore, a prudent measure to intrus^
the classification of the poor to a Committee of Inquiry
(or Visiting Committee), always composed of the same
members. These members visit all the families who ask
to be adopted, and they propose to the Conference their
classification into certain categories, according to the de-
gree of their necessities; then, once or oftener during
each year, they revise the general list of the poor, after
having made a special visit. The visitors are always lis-
tened to when defending the interests of their poor, and
in case of disagreement the Conference decides.

Here another point presents itself, apparently a sec-
ondary one, but which, however, deserves attention. Is
it well that members who have been absent from a meet-
ing, should be able, in the interval between one meeting
and another, to go to seek their relief tickets from the
Treasurer ?

The opinion of the Council-General has always been in
the negative. They believe that the true interests of the
poor, as well as that of the Conference itself, are opposed
to this permission being conceded: the interests of the
poor ; for the members ceasing to have a positive necessity
for coming to the Conference to get their relief tickets, would .
more easily free themselves from assiduous attendance at;
the meetings, and the weekly collection would be greatly
alfected by this, even although there was a collecting box;
at the Treasurer's, as has been sometimes proposed : the
interests of the Conference ; for, by absenting themselvea-
frequently from the meetings, the members would certain^
ly in time lose the spirit of them, and the taste fur them

S4 EXPLANATORY NOTES

As to the mode of distribution pointed out by Article
20, it has necessarily been modified by the force of cir-
cumstances in such Conferences as are pretty numerous,
as it would have taken up all the time of the meetings.
Many Treasurers have adopted the habit of preparing be-
forehand the relief tickets of each member in an envel-
ope, whicli is handed to him immediately ; and in this
manner the distribution is carried out immediately and
without loss of time.

On the other hand, that which ought not to be laid
aside, is the custom of asking from members detailed in-
formation upon the state of the families wham they visit.
It is not, in point of fact, suflBcient that religious improve-
ment should take effect among the poor ; it is necessary,
for the general edification, that the Conference should
know that it has been effected; it is necessary that it
should be talked of, lest the new-comers, not hearing any
thing said about it, should come to neglect it, and that
even the old members should allow themselves to lose
sight of it. Further, every member ought to announce
immediately the death of any of his poor : the De Pro-
fundis is recited for his intention at the close of the meet-
ing, and the Holy Sacrifice is offered up for him at a later
period. If there be yet time, some members are appointed
to accompany the body to the church, and to attend the
funeral.

Nothing is more natural than the recommendation
made by this paragraph. The families that are visited are
all poor, and often in actual distress. To put off for a
party of pleasure, for some affair of little importance, the
weekly visit to be made to the poor, is an act of negli-
ji:erice deeply to be regretted, for those families often suf-
fer from it. '* "We were looking out for you," say they
sometimes to the visitors : ''we were near being in want
of food." If the visitors had not gone to see them, food
would have failed them 1 This thought makes one shud-
der. In the world people sometimes complain of a din-
ner-party delayed, put off perhaps by a party of pleas-
ure, or by an accident which will not occur again. But
what then is this to a mother who has five or six children,
and who puts them to bed fasting, without knowing
whether she will have food for them on the next day?
Let us think seriouslj of this cruel anxiety, and we will

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 3^

never put off the visits through any fault of our own.
Besides, this exactness need not be mathematical, and
pven, as a general rule, it would be wrong to give the
poor the habit of counting upon help at a fixed hour.
This would make them, as one may say, persons enjoymg
an income, who would die of hunger if the rent were not
paid the very day it fell due, and who would become ac-
customed to making no effort to help themselves.

This paragraph recalls once again to visitors the aim of
the Society in its relations with the poor : it is to make
them better men and better Christians. In fact, this can-
not be too much insisted upon, as without this the So-
ciety of St. Vincent de Paul would become a merely phil-
anthropic and purely human work, which, even humanly
speaking, is very barren and insufficient. The visitors
will have then to seek for every possible means of in-
structing the poor upon their duties, and of making them
thoroughly comprehend them. Sometimes it will be by
means of a good word addressed to the child, that they
will take the work in hand ; sometimes by means of a
good book, an almanac, a little lecture {petite lecture)^ a
pious image, or a crucifix bestowed; at other times it will
be by rnetias of some edifying reading, made for some
poor invalid, whom they will strive to instruct upon it.
The manner may be varied infinitely in the details, but at
the bottom it will never be accomplished but by a great
devotion to it, a great affection for it, and particularly by
means of prayer. Let us pray for the conversion of our
poor ; let us obtain prayers for them from pious souls ;
let us sacrifice something to this intention, and we may be
sure of success. It was thus that the Saints acted, and it
is one of the secrets of the conversions which they worked.

Of course, when a member consults the Conference
upon a case of difficulty, he should take care that no in-
convenience can arise from making it public ; if that be
so, he should consult the President privately.

21. — If relief in money, clothes, or books be
applied for, the grounds for such application
ehoiild be fully explained, and the Conference
votes. Should the case of distress be such that
a grant ot money is indispensable, and that

86 EXPLANATORY NOTES

relief in kind will not answer instead, the mem-
bers receiving the money must take special care
to watch diligently over the use made thereof.

This article expressly recalls a usage so well estab-
lished, that it is scarcely necessary to state it, to wit:
that the distribution of relief in kind is the rule, and the
exception a grant of money. The reasons for this custom
are so obvious that it is useless to recall them.

Some Conferences have remarked that certain of their
members had a stronger tendency than the others to ask
for the extraordinary relief to which the 21st Article
refers. The result of this is, that, witliout their desiring
it, their poor are more favored than others. To remedy
this trifling abuse, the habit has been adopted of entering
the extraordinary relief which has been granted upon the
register of families, opposite to the names of the families
who had received it; so that the Conference is not again
put to the same expense for the same poor person with-
out being fully aware of it.

22. — ^After the allocation of the different sorts
of relief, the members deliberate on the dis-
posal of any situations they may be able to pro-
cure for the poor, on the plans for the relief of
the distressed, and on the families to be visited
by new members, or by those who wish to visit
more. No family can be admitted on the relief-
roll of the Society without a previous statement
of its wants, made either by the Secretary, or by
such other member as may have been appointed
by the President to collect information. Before
the Conference decides, every member has full
liberty to make any remarks upon the ease he
may think useful.

The adoption of families should be the subject of very
lerious attention on the part of the President and of the

ON THE GENERAL KULE. 37

Ctonference. It concerns, in fact, the prosperity and the
Louor of the Society that all abuses arising in this way
should be avoided ; that women still young, particularly
%f they live by themselves^ should not be visited, and that
every precaution should be taken to avoid even the ap-
pearance of a scandal. This principle has been laid down
from the very commencement, and is again referred to in
the preliminary considerations of the Rule ; it has been
pointed out above ; but the more the Conferences are
multiplied, the more is it indispensable to hold firmly to
this. For poor are to be found everywhere ; and when
there is so great a choice among so much misery, we
should connect ourselves only with those, the relief of
whom is exempt from inconvenient circumstances, and
cannot cause disedification.

Care must also be taken, particularly in large towns, to
adopt only the poor who live in reputable houses. This
rule may appear severe ; but is it not a case to which
the popular proverb may apply : '' Charity well regulated
begins at home?"

It is also fit that prudence should be used with regard
to poor persons subject to grave faults — drunkards, per-
sons of dissipated habits, or those living in a state of con-
cubinage. Undoubtedly these poor people ought not to
be entirely excluded, unless they are in the category of
those of whom mention has been made above ; but they
must not be visited except in the desire to correct them,
and but so long as there is hope of effecting that. Other-
wise, if relief were still continued to them, after all ad-
vice had been exhausted, that would be a cause of scan-
dal for the honest poor, and it would give them grounds
for believing, although erroneously, that the Society at-
taches no value to good morals and honest conduct.
There is in this, therefore, a wise middle course to be fol-
lowed between too great strictness and too much iadul-
l^ence ; and by paying attention to it, success will be ob-
tained.

Finally, care must be taken not to adopt such a num-
ber as would be too large, regard being had to the num-
ber of visitors. Otherwise, if the members take the
charge of too many families, they would be led to visit
them only in a passing way, to do no more for them than
Jniit to ^tribate alms, and to neglect spiritual relief^

38 EXPLANATORY NOTES

which c&nnot be given but during visits of some daration
and entirely friendly in their character. This mode of
considering the matter is then very serious, and Confer
ences ought to lay down a rule for themselves, not to
adopt but just so many families as they can visit in a
Christian manner, and in the spirit of our holy patron.

But all is not done by adopting the poor : they must
have visitors allotted to them. This duty is the especial
task of the President ; for some member may be suitable
for almost every family, and yet not succeed with certain
of the poor ; he may be too timid or too harsh, too slow
or too hasty, for exceptional characters. To some of the
poor it is well to give a visitor who impresses them by the
gravity of his manner, and even by the importance of his
position; with others, on the contrary, success is to be
had only by gaining their confidence by force of persever-
ance and of long patience. There is, then, a double study
of the character of the visitors and of that of the poor, to
be made by the President, and he cannot attach too much
importance to it. With respect to the visitors, this labor
will be easy to the President, who meets them each week ;
but with respect to the poor, it requires more trouble,
because their number is much more considerable. To
effect it, there are two means, between which the Presi-
dent can choose: either to make periodically, at least
once a year, the complete round of the families, or for
himself to pay the first visits, for some weeks, to the fam-
ilies newly adopted. Some Presidents have found the
leisure to carry out both plans at the same time ; they
cannot be too much congratulated upon their doing so.

23. — ^Members leaving for a time, or for ever,
the place where the Conference is, give notice
to the President, who confides to others the
duties with which such members were charged.

The recommendations of this Article, although purely
of detail, possess a real importance. Thus, if a member
neglect to give intimation of his departure, his poor or his
works may be abandoned : if he forgets to acquaint the
President personally of it, or if he himself gives charge to
another member, either of his poor or of his works, the

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 39

alLxjation of the families by the President, of which men-
tion has just been made, may be disturbed by it, or the
works would not perhaps be intrusted to the brother to
whom they would be most suited. In either case, the
good order of the Conference would be disturbed by it,
particularly if the circumstances were of frequent recur-
rence.

Let us add, that it is very well that the members who
go away should draw up a detailed report upon the state
of their poor, which would enable those who replaced them
to understand better and sooner the characters, the neces-
sities, and the misery of these poor. Some brothers have
also, upon such occasions, the praiseworthy custom of
giving to their Conferences a more considerable sum as
alms, to represetit them in the collections in which, during
their absence, they would not join, and to help the Con-
ference in supporting its poor. This practice cannot be
recommended too strongly.

24. — ^The Conference then considers any ob-
servations that may be made with a view to its
interests, its increase, and the best use of its
funds.

This part of the meeting ought not to be neglected, be-
cause the Conferences would readily degenerate and fall
into monotony, were they to occupy themselves exclu-
sively with material questions, and not to give a little
time to such as are general. Here are two shoals to be
shunned ; the first — under pretext of being engaged upon
more exalted interests, to allow themselves to get into
speeches, into dissertations upon charity, into theoretical
discussions, which would be quite opposed to the sim-
plicity of our meetings ; the second — to restrict themselves
to what concerns the Conference exclusively. It cannot
be too well remembered that the Society of St. Vincent
de Paul is one, and, that this unity may be maintained, it
is well that the Conferences should converse often about
guch things as occur of an edifying nature in other Con-
ferences — that they should study to imitate them and to
tnrn them to use, in order that they themselves may not
fall into apathy and torpor. Thus, it is very suitable to

40 EXPLANATORY NOTES

select that part of the meeting when it is most nnnaerons,
to give an accc>unt to the Conference, either of whfltevQi?
has occurred of importance at the Particular Council of
the town, if there be one, or of the general advice con-
tained in the monthly Bulletin of the Society, or of the
interesting Reports of other Conferences. It is also the
most opportune moment for reading the circulars of the
Council-General, a deep knowledge of which the members
are often so deficient in, and which is so useful. Some-
times, all these documents are left to rest in the archives
of the Conference, which is the same as saying, in the
dust. This is a very positive loss to the members.

It will be well, also, from time to time to have read, at
this period of the meeting, some profitable report upon
any special work of the Conference, with the view of
exciting interest, and of constantly stimulating zeal, which
is, alas ! so ready to languish in every hum.an work.

25. — ^At the close of the meeting, and before
the prayer, the Treasurer makes the collection,
to which each member contributes an offering
proportioned to his means, but always in secret
Those who cannot spare time for tlie service of
the poor, try to increase the amount of their
pecuniary contributions.

The collection should not be made merely for formes
sake; it ought always to be done very seriously, and every
one is bound to examine himself before God, in bis soul
and conscience, whether the sacrifice which he makes to
the poor is in proportion to his means. Almsgiving, in
fact, is not to the Christian a simple counsel — it is a rigor-
ous duty ; and while it may be discharged otherwise than
by the collection at the Conference, and while a portion
(of the extent of which each one can alone be the judge)
ought to be reserved for other works, and especially for
those of his own parish, it is right that every member of
the Society of St. Vincent de Paul should, within the
bosom of his Conference, discharge this precept generous-
ly, liberally. Otherwise, how could he ask of others, if
h© has not commenced by being himself the first tc give?

ON IHE GENERAL RULE. 41

How, above all, can he ask of God to bless Ins laboi-s, if
he has not deserved that blessing by a truly adequate self-
Bacrifice ?

The collection, then, ought to be a serious act, but it
ought also to be a secret one ; and nothing would be more
opposed to the spirit of the Society than to stimulate its
members to considerable donations by the attraction of
publicity. Thus a newly-formed Conference had thought,
with a very laudable intention, that the amount of its
collections would be increased if they were made upon a
plate, so as to allow each one's offering to be seen ; and it
sought the opinion of the Council-General upon it. The
latter was unanimous in condemning this practice. Thus,
too, other Conferences have sought to replace the weekly
collection by an assessment laid upon the members, either
according to a rate fixed beforehand, or according to each
one's means. The Council-General has likewise been at
all times opposed to a tendency in thi* direction. Besides
the fear that an assessment upon a low scale would injure
the prosperity of the treasury, and that an assessment at
a high rate would keep away many good Christians of
small means, yet zealous, it was most of all to be feared
that the secrecy of the collection would be violated. In
Conferences, there ought to be no differences of rank or
fortune: this is one of the most certain causes of their
success. Now, the less opulent should not be exposed to
blush at the smallness of their alms, nor the more wealthy
be tempted to grow proud of the superiority of their do-
nations. If anywhere Christian equality should be pre-
served, it is in the presence of charity. Nevertheless, in
some country Conferences, it has been permitted that gifts
in kind may be made by members as their contribution to
the collection. This departure, which yet does not pre-
vent a collection according to rule, has been sanctioned by
the nature of the circumstances.

Tlie collection is intended for tlie use of the

families visited, but the members should not

Beglect any other means that may present them-

Belves of increasing the funds of the Conference.

At the commencement of the Society, the collections
were almost the only resource of our Conferences; at

42 EXPLANATORY NOTES

present they still are one of the most considerable sonrces
of revenue, and they amount, on an average, to the fourth
of the total receipts. This continuance of resources per-
sonal to and furnished by the members themselves is a
most happy sign; but, as the Rule says, the membei's
should not neglect any other means that may offer of in-
creasing the funds. These means vary according to local-
ties and customs: here, it is a charity sermon; there,
lotteries ; elsewhere, bazaars or sales ; almost everywhere
subscriptions solicited, extraordinary donations procured;
but what ought not to vary, are the principles which
should govern the collection of these resources.

First, and above all, there must be a great zeal to keep
up the treasury of the poor. Often there are numerous
steps to take towards this end ; there are refusals to be en-
dured, sometimes even difficulties to be overcome. A
member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul ought not
to allow himself to be daunted, provided, of course, that
he ha^ not exceeded the limits of propriety. When one
sees closely the misery of so many families, when one'a
heart is sensibly affected by their privation, their naked-
ness, and more than all by their spiritual destitution, he
ought not to let himself be checked by some refusals — he
ought not to fear being importunate; the pleasure of
solacing these miseries well deserves being purchased by
some annoyances.

Yet if there must be zeal, in order not to lose through
our own fault any occasion of increasing the patrimony of
the poor, this zeal must not end in too human an attach-
ment to material resources. In a Christian work, money
never is more than a secondary thing: what effects more
tlian all else is devotedness — desire for the salvation ot
souls. Whence arise two results: the first is, that if the
treasury does not fill to the measure of our wishes, we
must not be grieved at it, nor, above all, must we be dis-
couraged, but on the contrary, we must persevere more
than ever; the second is, that to get money we must
never resort to modes which are not entirely of a Chris-
tian character. Nothing is, in fact, more fatal than to
pursue a praiseworthy end by means whicli are not ^-ee
from reproach, or to wish to accomplisli a Christian work
by ways contrary to Christianity. Consequently there
(should be m balls for Conferences, no theatrical represent-

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 43

ations ; it is not necessary to state this ; but there should
not be even those lotteries, where cupidity is stimulated
by the allurement of gain, where recourse is had to spec-
ulation to bring in funds; nor siboni/^ onv otber means be
adopted which are repugnanL lo simpncity cr to humility.
All ought to be modest, Christian, in order not to attract
too much the eyes of the world, and not to alienate the
blessings of God.

26. — The meeting closes with the prayer to
Saint Vincent de Paul^ and the prayers Pro
benefactoribus^ and Sub tuum prcesidium.

The custom is established in some Conferences of reciting
at the close of the meeting the prayer for the use of the
merribers of the Society, which is to be found in the Man-
ual, and at the end of the Kule. It cannot be doubted
that this would be a source of graces for the Conferences,
and it is desirable that as well the members individually,
as the Conferences in a body, should recite this prayer
frequently.

CHAPTER II.

OP PARTICULAR COUNCILS.

"When several Conferences are established in the same
town, Article 4 states that they are to be united by a
Particular Council. This is the place to examine the mo-
tives which have led to the creation of this institution
and the spirit which should direct it. The details of its
organization will appear further on.

The increase of members in the Conferences is certain-
ly a very great benefit, and every member should labor
actively towards it. Yet, there is a point beyond which
this organization leads to serious inconveniences, namely,
when the number of the members becomes too great.
Then tiie meetings lose some of their cordiality, by be-

4i EXPLANATORY NOTES

coming more formal, and some of their freedom, to pre*
vent their falling into confusion and disorder. A Ooiifer-
ence is then no longer a place of meeting for Christian
friends; it is an assemblage of men who deliberate
gravely; moreover, zeal greatly relaxes in the same
measure as numbers increase, since each one depends
upon the other, and individual interest diminishes. It is
then a great danger to a Conference to become too nu-
merous; by it the spirit of simplicity, of fraternity, of
cordiality, may be wrecked. Thus it has been early con-
sidered as necessary for Conferences that have reached
this point, to divide themselves into several Conferences,
and experience has justified that opinion ; but this division
was not intended to lead to a schism, nor even to an iso-
lation, nor to an entire severance of the branches of the
original Conference. It is for this that provision has been
made by the organization of Particular Councils, which,
while letting the individuality of each Conference exist,
nevertheless combines the common strength of them aJl.
Experience has, moreover, proved the utility of the means
adopted.

Now, thanks to this combination, we have been enabled
to multiply the number of members in important town?
in a manner that could not have been expected. At
Paris, for example, while a Conference of 150 members
would have found almost insurmountable difficulties in
maintaining itself, there have been formed fifty Confer-
ences, in which about two thousand members are included,
and by which they are drawn together by the attraction
of neighborhood, of parochial connections, and also by the
simplicity of meetings thus multiplied. In the less con-
siderable towns a Conference could never have exceeded
the number of sixty or eighty members ; divided into
three Conferences, it now has brought together more than
twice that number, and there are double the number oi
poor visited, of funds collected, of good done. Here then
is a result which deserves to attract the attention of many
Conferences ; but it will not be efi*ected unless under the
double condition which the following articles develop,
namely — unity of direction in important matters, great
freedom of action for each Conference in the details of its
works.

The separation of one Conference into several Oonfer'

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 4d

enoes is the mtst freqnent case where there is occasion for
the creation of a Particular Council; yet sometimes it
happens in towns which are somewhat spread out, or in
suburbs which are attached to them, that a second Confer-
ence is organized entirely outside of the first one. This
does not make it the less necessary to bind these Confer-
ences together by a common Council, but it should be re-
marked that the Council-General, before pronouncing the
aggregation of the second Conference, always advises with
the primitive Conference, in order to be well assured that
they are acting harmoniously, and that the formation of a
new centre is caused by charity, and not by such a rivalry
as should be regretted.

In fine, we must observe that this institution, which was
only applied at first to Conferences of the same town or of
its immediate locality, has been extended recently to
country Conferences. The boundary of the jurisdiction
of the Particular Councils is in such case traced by the
Council-General at the time of their institution ; for this
demarcation arises no longer from the nature of circum-
stances, and it varies according to the relations, the prox-
imity, and the necessities of the Conferences grouped
together. This innovation is very advantageous, since it
is a protection against the dangers of isolation in Confer-
ences scattered through the country, whose weakness
makes it necessary that they more than all others should
support one another.

27. — ^The Particular Council of a town is
composed of a Spiritual Director, a President,
Yice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, of all
the Spiritual Directors, Presidents, and Vice-
Presidents of the Conferences of the town, and
of the Spiritual Directors, Presidents, and Vice-
Presidents of Special Works in which all are
interested.

The composition of Particular Councils has been con-
ceived, as may be readily seen, in the double thought in-
dicated above, of unity of direction, and of free action ol
the Conferences for their works. Thus, there is at the

46 EXPLANATORY NOTES

head a board, the mecibers of which need not be attached
to any Conference, an i which ought necessarily to tend to
encourage them all in an equal degree; then, besides this
board, there are the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of
each Conference, and the Presidents and Vice-Presidents
of the Special Works. All interests then are protected
there, in order that the decisions arrived at may be ac-
cepted more freely by all ; all the works are there present,
in order that the absence of any one may not involuntarily
cause its interests to be postponed.

With regard to the special works, as the Rule calls them,
and which it would be more correct to call general works^
they are those which, for their full development, require
tho common concurrence of all the Conferences. These
wcJiks alone are represented in the Particular Councils,
afnd not the works of this or that Conference which have
the Pi'esident of the Conference for their natural guardian.

Tt is well to note, in passing, that when the article speaks
of a Vice-President^ here as in many other articles, that
does not prevent more being named if there be a real ne-
cessity for them; so also as to Vice-Secretaries and Vice-
Treasurers. Nevertheless, it would be very much opposed
to the spirit of the Society to multiply beyond what is
necessary, the number of officers, in order to foster self-
love and vanity.

28. — ^The PartiGulwr Council is charged with
tliose works and important measures which in-
terest all the Conferences of the town.

This article determines plainly the functions of Particu-
lar Councils. Thus, if the matter in question be concern-
ing a work entirely of detail, or the internal arrangements
of the relief in a Conference, the Particular Council has
nothing to do with it, since that does not affect all the
Conferences of the town. But if, on the contrary, it is a
question of regulation, which concerns the Society at
large — if it is a measure, the result of which will not be
confined to the Conferences of tho town, but may extend
over all the otliers, it does not lie, strictly speaking, with
the Particular Council to come to a decision on the matter*,
it has only tc offer advice, leaving, it to the Council-Gen-
eral to give a definite solution. But when a question

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 47

arises upon a measure that interests all the Conferences of
the town, and which concerns them only^ it is then that
the action of the Particular Council conies into operation,
and that it has the right to adopt positive decisions.
Without entering into the detail of these measures, it is
certain that they are of frequent occurrence. Thus, where
new Conferences are formed, it is for the Particular Council
to fix their limits. When some important works are pro-
posed, it is for it to decide upon whether there is occasion
for them, how they should be proceeded with, etc. When
a Conference departs from the rule, it is for the Particu-
lar Council to remind the Conference of the rule, and by
its advice to lead back to its observance.

29. — ^It decides on the allocation of the com-
mon fund. This fund is maintained by all dona-
tions not made expressly to any of the Confer-
ences, collections made at the general meetings
of the town, and by the contributions which the
Presidents bring to the Council in the names of
their respective Conferences. This fund is in-
tended to meet the expenses of the special works
of the town, and to sustain the poorer Confer-
ences.

The administration of the common funds of the Confer-
ences is one of the functions of the Particular Council.
These funds are destined, as the article says, to meet the
works of the town and to support the poorer Conferences.
This destination shows all their utility, and proves how
valuable they are. Misery never is, in fact, distributed
equally among the different quarters of a town, and it
is very right that the more abundant resources of the
better-circumstanced Conferences should aid the distress
of the others. It is one of the most Christian applica-
tions of the true charity which should animate the mem-
bers of the Society, and one of the most positive proofs
that they all act but with one heart and one soul. This
is the place to add that t^je funds of the Particular Council,
as veil as those of the Conferences, ought always to b«

48 EXPLANATORY NOTES

employed upon the works of the Society. "We have-
be*^ asked," says the Circular of December 1st, 1842, "if
\t be permissible to apply some of the funds received as
donatiojs or through the collections at Conferences, to
any other charitable purpose than the works specially
adopted by them. It appeared to us that this ought not
to be done; that it would be, firstly, to misunderstand
the intentions of the donors ; that, secondly, such a lati-
tude would have as a result, to embarrass considerably
the works which we have undertaken. By wishing to do
everything, we would end, in fact, by doing nothing. A
charitable society, which does not know how to limit it-
self, is soon exhausted. Because we have selected certain
works, we have not entered upon an engagement to de-
vote ourselves to all. Pardon me, Sir and dear Brother,
if in this I appear to wish to restrain the eflfects of your
2eal ; but we must be wise with soberness, and it is to
make your efforts more efficacious and more lasting, that
I hazard these counsels of a prudence which may seem to
he timid."

The supply of the funds of the Council presented a
double difficulty : of drawing too much to itself, or of
being insufficient. If the resources of the Conferences
had been too much concentrated in the common fund,
their zeal in collecting funds would certainly have been
diminished. It is, perhaps, a weakness to wish to expend
by our own hand, or through our Conference, the money
which we have procured, and to put so much the more ar-
dor in its collection, as we shall have greater share in its
distribution ; but this weakness is too natural to man that
it should not be taken into account. If, on the other hand,
too moderate resources had been destined for it, the com-
mon fund would have been without an object. It appears
that the Rule goes safely between these two dangers.

Thus, every Conference is exclusively proprietor of the
funds which it receives by weekly collections ; by subscrip-
tions; by donations made to it; by the local resources
which it procures within its own limits, and which vary
according to local customs.

The Council centralizes the donations made to the So-
ciety in the town, and not made to this or that Confer-
ence, the funds arising from lotteries, general collections
organized not in a single parish, but in the entire towii^

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 49

the contributions of honorary members (Art. 55), the col-
lectif>ns made at the general meetings of the town, and
the offerings of each Conference. Besides, it is to be re-
marked that this limitation is necessarily, to a small ex-
tent, somewhat variable and elastic, and that, in the spirit
of the Society, there ought to be made under this head,
between the funds of the Council and those of the Con-
ferences, certain concessions according to the exigencies of
the occasion. Further, the offerings of each Conference
are now fixed generally at a certain per centago upon their
funds. It seemed useless, in fact, to renew a vote upon
this matter at every meeting of the Conference. At Paris
the Conferences vote the tenth of their funds, and this al-
location is sufficient on account of their number ; in other
towns, a different proportion has necessarily been adopted.

30. — ^The Spiritual Director, President, Yiee-
President, Secretary, and Treasurer, constitute
the ordinary Council, to which belongs the di-
Bection of the ordinary business.

Just as in simple Conferences, this council is of great
importance; not only does it prepare the subjects for de-
liberation, and thus shorten them, but it also expedites a
crowd of small details, in which the President is very glad
to receive advice, but which are not worth calling an ex-
traordinary meeting for. So that nothing is done precipi-
tately, and nevertheless small matters, which are the most
numerous, are not protracted indefinitely. This is a very
important point ; for in works of charity, if it be of con-
sequence to do them well, it is also necessary to do them
quickly.

31. — ^Tlie President is appointed by the Coun-
cil, with the advice of the Conferences. On the
first occasion he is appointed by all the Confer-
ences together. The President appoints the
Presidents and the Vice-Presidents of Confer-
ences and of Special Works, as well as the Yice-
President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer of

60 EXPLANATORY NOTES

the Particular Council, taking the advice of his

Council upon all these appointments.

•

This article clearly defines the occasions and the manner
of nomination of the different oflScers and members of the
Particular Council. One question only has been raised,
viz., can the Council nominate the President, after getting
the advice of the Conferences^ hut still contrary to that
advice f — and can the President nominate the oflScers
whom he is charged with selecting, after the advice of his
Council^ dut still contrary to that advice f The Council-
General being consulted upon this point, were of opinion
that in principle the Particular Council, as well as the
President, could proceed with the nominations which be-
long to them ; but that, in a work of charity, we must ad-
here less to a cold interpretation of the text, than to the
nature of the circumstances. Now, in fact, it is certain
that a Council could not impose a President upon the
Conferences of a town in spite of them^ and that a Presi-
dent could not impose upon his Council membera whom
the majority of that Council would formally reject. Here
charity solves the diflficulty, as also it will prevent its
being raised; for, in order that good may be possible,
there must be an intimate union among all ; and a great
danger to the Society would manifest itself upon the day
when any in it would wish to act in virtue of rights and
of prerogatives, and not rather through a mild firmness.

82. — ^The President of the Particular Council
directs its proceedings, receives and submits
propositions, and calls meetings when necessary.
He presides at the general meetings of the dis-
trict.

The Rule does not define the time of meeting of the
Particular Councils ; and it could not do so, for what would
suit in one town is often not expedient in another ; thus,
at Paris a necessity has been felt for the Particular Coun-
cil of the city to assemble every eight days ; and these
repeated meetings have answered very well. In other
places, on the contrary, fortnightly or monthly meetings
«re amply suflScient. The necessities of each town mnst,

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 51

then, be taken into account; but it is desirable that the
meetings should not be held at a greater interval than a
month, s'.nce a Council, to be real, must be active.

33. — The Secretary prepares the minutes of
the meetings of the Council. He keeps a regis
ter of the names, Christian names, professions,
and residences of the members of all the Con-
ferences of the town, with the dates of their
admission, and the names of their proposers.
He also registers the native places of those who
have not a fixed domicile in the town.

The points of detail which the 33d Article enumerates
ought to be carefully observed ; and experience has proved
that none of these particulars is superfluous. Secretaries
of Particular Councils ought, then, to endeavor to take
care of this matter, as should Secretaries of Conferences
apply themselves to keeping up the lists of members and
those of the poor.

34. — ^The Treasurer has charge of the common
fund of the town.

It follows that it is to the Council that he accounts. It
is well that, as in the Conferences, these accounts should
be audited yearly.

35. — ^The Conferences are represented in the
Particular Council by their Spiritual Directoi*s,
Presidents, and Vice-Presidents. The Spiritual
Directors, President, and Vice-Presidents of Spe-
oial Works appear there to watch over the inter-
ests of these works. Each makes reports when
invited to do so by the President of the Council.

There is nothing to point out here but the final arrange-
ment in this article, and to insist upon the usefulness of
Eteports being ma(^.e frequently to the Council upon the

62 EXPLANATORY NOTES

state of the Conferences and of the works. These reports,
although they ought always to be made in a simple s^le,
yet keep interest heartily alive; they prevent meetings
from being dull or monotonous ; they afford the occasion
to Councils to probe to the quick the Conferences and the
works of the town, to give advice, to rectify usages that
are defectl^ve, to extend such as are useful, and thus to
form, by the force of example alone, a unity of heart and
of mind among the different Conferences.

CHAPTER III.

THE COUNCIL-GENERAL.

36. — ^The Council-General is composed of a
President, Yice-President, Secretary, Treasurer,
and of several Councillors.

37. — ^The Council- General is the bond of all
the Conferences — it maintains the unity of the
Society. It labors for whatever can promote its
prosperity. In this respect it adopts the course
which it judges most useful.

The Council-General is the centre of the entire Society.
It aggregates Conferences, institutes the Councils of differ-
ent degrees, fixes their limits, pronounces, if there be oc-
casion, and in serious cases, the dissolution of Conferences
and of Councils, adopts general decisions which extend to
the whole Society, interprets or modifies the General Rule,
as occasions arise, and directs all the Conferences by its
correspondence, its circulars, and the Bulletin, Its exist-
.nce goes back to the origin of the Society, so soon as
there were several Conferences ; and its action has been
successively developed according as the general interests
of the work have increased and have become of greatei

OK THE GENERAL RULE. 53

Tiiiportance. The Circular of December, 1837 (pages 160
to 162 of the Manual)^ gives the history of it. The Rule
devotes a chapter to its organization. [See, with regard
to the enumeration of the officers, the remark inserted at
Article 27.]

38. — ^It decides upon the allocation of the cen-
tral fund. This fund is maintained by dona*
tions made to the Society, by collections made
at the general meetings of the Society, and by
contributions from the Conferences and Councils
towards the general expenses of the Society.

Notwithstanding the strictest economy, it is not possi-
ble that the Society should not have some general ex-
penses ; every individual Conference, every Council, neces-
sarily has some ; the Council-General, charged with
representing the whole Society, with corresponding with
its different branches spread all over the world, so to
speak, could not escape this obligation, and of course feels
it in a still stronger degree. Whence the creation of a
central treasury ; but it is of the very essence of our work
to restrain these expenses to \Yhat is strictly necessary, to
do every thing with simplicity, and, consequently, with
economy, and to be sacredly avaricious of the money of
the poor in respect to every thing which does not go di-
rectly to their relief. The spirit of the Society would be-
deeply injured, and its success, perhaps, be compromised,
on the day when these habits would be deviated from.

The 38th Article places the annual offerings of each
Conference and of each Council among the resources o£
the treasury of the Council-General. It is but just that
the Conferences of Paris should not bear alone such ex-
penses as relate to the whole Society, and that each Con-
ference, having its share in the general expenditure, should
have its share, too, in the means of providing for it.
Some Conferences have of themselves decided that they
would adopt, as the base of their annual contribution, the
hundredth part of their receipts; but whatever may be
the gratitude of the Council-General for that decision, on
this subject nothing is prescribed by the Kule, nor even
demanded by the Council-General ; these gifts are entirely

54 EXPLANATORT NOTES

optional, and it appears that the more they are spontanea
ous, the more valuable they become.

Moreover, the purpose of the treasury of the Council-
General is not merely to defray the expenses of corre-
spondence and of administration. It ought, especially, to
come to the aid of poor Conferences, for which temporary
assistance is eminently useful. Every year the Council-
General allocates grants, which are unfortunately insuffi-
cient, either to Conferences which are organized in poor
localities, and to which a small remittance of money is a
valuable encouragement, or to those which, some time in
existence, are assailed by greater necessity. Thus, many
Conferences have been supported, upheld, preserved per-
haps from the inefficiency into which they were about to
fall. Alone, they would have succumbed; but, feeling
themselves sustained, they have regained courage, and
they have imparted it to the poor whom they relieved,
and to the Hch who could give them co-operation.

But occasions arise of so serious a nature, that the treas-
ury of the Council-General, which is always very incon-
siderable, cannot succeed in affording a remedy for them.
Thus, after the inundations of the Rhone and of the Loire,
during the famine in Ireland and that in German Lorraine,
the wretcliedness became of such j)roi)ortions that the
united efforts of all the Conferences were required to
bring some remedy for the evil. In such circumstances
the Council-General first gives its own little contribution,
and then makes an appeal to the Conferences — either a
general appeal, if the misery be excessive, or one limited
to certain countries, if the misery be confined within a
certain radius. There is cause to thank our good God for
the result of these appeals, for they have been always re-
ceived in the most charitable and most fraternal manner.

Finally, these general calls made upon the Conferences
should be confined to very rare cases ; for these excep-
tional means can be had recourse to profitably only so long
as they are used with extreme discretion. Further, they
ought to be made by the Council- General only. Other-
wise, there would no longer be any i*egularity as to thera,
and each being judge of tlie occasion of the calls, the
result of this would be such a multiplicity of them that
irregularity would ensue.

The consequence of this is (and perhaps it is notuselea

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 65

to recall it to mincT) that no Conference ought, of its own
accord and hy iUelf to transmit lottery tickets, circularg
for subscriptions, requests for money, to the Conferences at
large. In the district of a Particular, Central, or Superior
Council, it can be done within that circumscription with
the assent of that Council; but outside that circumscrip-
tion a general application can be made only through the
intervention of the Council-General. This is at once the
way to make important subscriptions succeed, and to pre-
vent those being attempted which are not of that nature.

39. — ^The members of the Council-General are
nominated by the President, with the advice of
the Council.

According to an old custom, confirmed by a decision of
the Council-General, under date of November 24th, 1851,
it is for the Council-General to decide if tliere be occasion
to nominate new members. When that decision is in the
affirmative, the President-General, after having taken the
advice of the Council, nominates the new members of the
Council. (See on this subject the commentary given upon
Article '61. The same principles are applicable here.)

No figure has been fixed for the number of members of
the Council, since the necessity may vary according to
circumstances, and with the increase of the Society it may
be useful to call upon more fellow- workmen ; but, accord-
ing to the spirit of the Rule, no more than the number of
members that is really necessary should be introduced into
the Council. It has always appeared that these duties
ought to be active, and not simply honorary, and that if
the members were too numerous, it would be less easy to
preserve the necessary unity of purpose and of direction.
In fact, the number of the members of the Council-Gen-
eral has been, for many years, between twenty and twen-
ty-five.

The members of the Council-General are chosen, as a
general rule, from among the Presidents or members of
Conferences who have rendered most services to the
Society, and who can devote most time and intelligence
to the general interests; yet the Council-General has
always reserved to itself the liberty of calling into its
hody persons remarkable b}' reason of their piety and theii

56 EXPLANATORY NOTES

love of good works, persons who honor our work by
coming to give their co-operation to it. But, it should ba
understood, that such a case ought to be a very rare ex-
ception, being caused by circumstances and by the quali-
ties 6f the future members of the Council.

40. — ^When a President-General of the Society
is to be nominated, the Council-General is con-
vened by the Yice-President. This meeting is
preparatory, its sole business being to deliberate
as to the person who may be considered eligible
for the office. If the former President be living,
he is requested to designate some person whom
he thinks it would be proper to select.

When the Council has deliberated upon one
or more names, it adjourns for two months. In
the interval, the proceedings of this preparatory
meeting are made known to the Presidents of
the Particular Councils, who consult their col-
leagues, and to the Presidents of the Confer-
ences, who consult their respective Councils, or
even the Conferences over which they preside ;
all the Presidents transmit their opinions to the
Council-General, and according to these opin-
ions the Council-General makes the election ; an
exact minute of which is recorded. While the
election is pending, all the members of the So-
ciety offer up, either in private or in their meet-
ings, as a special prayer to God, the Yeni Ore'
tor^ that His spirit may enlighten them in the
choice they are about to make.

The article indicates sufficiently the mode of election of
the President-General, and there is no necessity for going

ON THE GENERAL lyjLE. 67

Into details. The important point is, to remind tje Con
ferences of the necessity for prayer while that selection is
being carried out; for that election is always a serious
event in the Society, and the grace of God cannot he too
much implored that a choice beneficial to the work may
be made, aud that the candidate nominated may be worthy
of the laborious charge to which he is called.

41. — ^The President-General convokes fc^tra'
ordinary meetings, and presides both in the
Conncil-G eneral and in ail general meetings

42. — ^The Secretary-General keeps a register
of the names, Christian names, professions, resi-
dences, and dates of admission of the members ;
also of the officers of the Councils or Confer-
ences, and of the places, days, and hours of their
meetings. He prepares the minutes of the meet
ings of the Council-General, and of general
meetings. He draws up an annual report on the
state of the works of the Society. He is charged
with the general correspondence with the Presi
dents or Secretaries of the several Councils oi
Conferences. He keeps the archives of the So
ciety.

Of course the members, of whom the Secretary- General
keeps the list, are those of the Conferences in Paris; a
General Register of all the members of the Society would
be actually impossible, and it has never been thought of.

It should be mentioned that the correspondence ought
to be arranged with the President-General, or the Vice-
Presidents- General, delegated for that duty ; the custom
has, moreover, been introduced, that all the letters written
in the name of the Council-General should be signed by
two members, in order that nothing contrary to the spirit
or to the usages of the Society should, through mistake,
find its way into them.

58 EXPLANATORY NOTES

43. — ^The Treasurer-General has charge of the
funds. He keeps a regular account of the re*
ceipts and disbursements, and submits his ac-
counts to the Council-General.

44. — If the President-General himself cannot
preside at the Council of Paris, he appoints a
member of the Council-General to do so. He
also, on the recommendation of the Secretary-
General, appoints several members of the Coun-
cil-General to the office of Vice-Secretaries.

Article 44 lays down a useful principle, one applicable
in all cases where two Councils — as a General Council
and Particular Council, an Upper Council and a Particular
Council, a Central Council and a Particular Council, etc.
— are together in the same town ; namely, that a mem-
ber of the Council which is the highest in authority —
either the President or a member delegated ad hoc by the
President — should always be the one to preside in the
Council of lower rank. Undoubtedly, bickerings and dis-
cussions about pre-eminence are little to be apprehended
in an assemblage for charitable purposes; but it would
be so disagreeable to have them raised that they must bt
avoided as much as possible, and the concentration of the
Presidentship of the two Councils in the same person ia
one of the most effectual means of preventing discossionfl
and chances of offence being taken.

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 59

CHAPTER IV.

GENERAL MEETINGS.

Something has been said already of General Meetings
and of their utility : — this is the time to study their spirit
and details more closely.

General meetings are the assembling together of many
Conferences, where several of them exist in the same
town, or even the assembling together of the active and
honorary members of the sole Conference of a town. Thi?
point deserves to be well determined; for many times
some isolated Conferences have thought that they could
not hold general meetings unless by uniting themselves
to some Conferences of the neighboring localities, and
that it would be impossible for them to hold generril meet-
ings by themselves alone. This notion is quite opposed to
the practice of the Society, which regards as a general
meeting every more formal assembly, where, in the pres-
ence of the members, both active and honorary, and of
the benefactors of the Conference, an account is given of
the good carried out, and of that which is contemplated.
It would, moreover, be very unfortunate that it should be
60 : for, by omitting the general meeting, the Mass of the
festival days would, perhaps, be omitted, the members
would cease to meet for the purpose of praying together,
so as to warm each other in piety ; or, at least, if they
did not give up the pious meetings, they would lose the
Plenary Indulgences of the four Festivals of tlio Society,
which cannot be obtained but upon the double condition
of communion and of assisting at the general meeting.
(Brief of January 10th, 1846).— (See the Circular of No-
vember 1st, 1849, pages 327 to 329 of the Manual,)

Now, it is beyond doubt tiiat holding the four meetings
presents some difficulties in small towns ; that it is not
easy to collect together four times a year some members
of the clergy, some persons strangers to the daily works

GO EXPLANATORY NOTE»

of tlie Conferences, in order to occupy them with resnlts
of little consequence; for this reason the Council-General
has not ceased, for many years past, to recommend to
neighboring Conferences to make arrangements for hold-
ing general meetings in common: sometimes in one town,
sometimes in another; it is partly for this reason, abo,
tliat it insists npon the organization of Central Councils
by means of which this part of our Rule can be more easily
put into operation.

General meetings are, in fact, very useful for reviving
zeal; they interest the. honorary members and the bene-
factors in the work sustained by their co-operation; they
afford the opportunity of speaking to them of the poor,
and of obtaining for the poor more powerful assistance;
they form, too, for the active members an occasion foi
reviewing the whole of their works, and of seeing how
they could be improved. In every point of view they are,
then, useful, and in towns where there are many Confer-
ences they are necessary in order to keep up mutual rela-
tions. Yet care must be taken that they do not degener-
ate into mere formal meetings, and be made an occasioB
for speeches and eloquent displays, but that they remain
what they ought always to be, a family meeting, some-
what more numerous than is usual, but ever humble^
Christian, and full of simplicity.

The Council-General has been often asked if ladies
ought to be invited to the general meetings. Notwitb-
standing local reasons which have a certain weight, the
Council-General has always answered in the negative,
since, to this step, which would be free from obstacles in
some towns, there may be some objections in other more
considerable places, and the precedent once established, it
would be difficult not to allow it to extend itself continu-
ally, even until it would become the rule.

45. — General meetings are held every year,
on tlie 8th of December, the Feast of the Im-
maculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin ; on
the first Sunday of Lent ; on the Sunday of tho
Good Shepherd (the anniversary of the transla-
tion of the relics of Saint Vincent do Paul^ : and

ON THE GENERAL RULE. U J

on the 19th of July, the Feast of this our patron
Saint. The Piwdent is empowered, moreover,
to call extraordinary general meetings.

The dates fixed by the rule for the general meetinji:':
ought to be 8<3inapulousiy observed ; and it would be very
much to be regretted if isolated Conferences believed tliey
could alter them. Is it not, in fact, touching to think that
at the same periods all the members of the Society of St.
Vincent de Paul are assembled to speak of God, of their
poor, and of their own sauctification ? Are there not graces
attached to this simultaneousness of prayers and of action ?
Yet it should be observed that the days indicated are not
imperatively required by the Brief of January 10th, 1845,
wliich allows some days' latitude for holding the general
meetings, so as to gain the indulgence: atqtie coetui gene
rail qui hisce temporibus habetur interfuerint. It would,
in fact, often be difficult to hold the meeting actually on
the appointed day.

46. — ^Tlie general meetings, like the Confer-
ences, open with prayer and pious reading.

It is very usefui to observe this arrangement, and it
should never be departed from, on any pretext, lest the
general meetings may lose the mark of a Christian assem-
bly. "With this motive, the Council-General has always
been of opinion, that if it is often useful to invite persons
who are strangers to the Society, whether for the purpose
of removing some prejudices, or of obtaining their co-
operation, the prayer and pious reading should never, out
of consideration to them, be omitted. If those persons
have the misfortune of being such indifferent Christians
as to be annoyed at this being done, it is much better not
to invite them. It is of little consequence that our meet-
ings should be brilliant; but it is of very great conse-
quence tiiat they should preserve their religious character.

47. — ^The Secretary having first read the min-
utes of the preceding meeting, calls aloud the
members admitted into the different Conferences

since the last general meeting, and whose names

02 EXPLANATORY NOTES

have been remitted to him for this purpose by

the diflereiit Presidents. These members rise —

the Secretary presents them to the Society and

the President, who addresses them in a few

words.

The actual presentation of the members to the meeting
and to the President, has become almost impossible in
practice at pretty numerous general meetings. Disorder
and confusion would result from carrying it out. But
when the meeting is not very great, it is well to keep to
this custom, which is a good proof of the spirit of brother-
hood, and which is very old.

48. — The Presidents of Conferences report on
the state of their Conferences. A summary ab-
stract of each report, containing the changes of
members and of poor families, the total receipts,
with the amount and items of the expenditure,
is deposited in the hands of tlie Secretary.

This article cannot now be followed literally, except at
general meetings where few Conferences come together:
it would, in fact, be impossible that ten or twelve Presi-
dents, sometimes even forty or fifty, should come forward
in succession to give accounts of the works of their Con-
ferences ; it is then necessary that they should forward
to the Secretary their notes upon the material points, and
that the latter, either himself or through another member,
should draw up a complete statement.

Further, whatever may be the form of the report, an
essential point is that it should contain edifying facts, of
a nature to excite zeal, and above all, that it should not
be a panegyric of the Society. The praises which a work
receives outside, are often the cause of great danger to it;
but tlie panegyrics which it pronounces on itself, are proof
that the Christian spirit has departed from it.

49. — ^Tlie Secretary then reads letters from
those Conferences which have not been able to

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 63

send a representative to the meeting. He also
reads extracts of any other letters which may in-
terest the Society.

50. — ^Tlie President then announces the meas-
ures taken by the Council of Direction for the
good of the Society, and, if necessary, solicits
the advice of the meeting.

The last part of the article is entirely optional, as the
expression ''''if necessary " shows. In fact, general meet-
ings having become very numerous, it would be difficult
now to take their opinions, in the large towns more es-
pecially.

51. — ^The President, or any member of the
Society invited by him, addresses the meeting in
a few words of Christian and charitable exhor-
tation.

The address here referred to, and which occurs some-
times at the commencement, sometimes at the close of the
meetings, should be short, simple, and practical. It should
not be either a theoretical discussion, since such matter is
not the purpose of the Society ; or a sermon, since that
would be misplaced in the mouth of a layman. But if it
is made so as to present the special wants of the Society,
if it points out carefully the difficulties to avoid in this or
that work, if it excites to zeal and to devotion, it may
really contribute to the charitable life of the Conferences.

The Society considers itself fortunate "vvlien
persons eminent for their character, their virtue,
and their knowledge, are good enough to be
present upon the invitation of the President at
the general meeting, and to close it with some
edifying remarks.

The general meetings are, as much as possible, held
under the presidency cf a bishop or parish priest, or of

64 EXPLANATORY NOTES

a clergyman remarkable for his piety and virtnes. It is an
lienor and a happiness for the disciples of St. Vincent de
Paul to be able to relate their feeble labors to their
fathers in the faith and their guides in Christian works;
and, when, against their will, they are deprived of such
presence, their meetings lose the greatest part of their
charm and of their interest.

The rule is, and this rule justifies itself too weW to need
having it insisted upon, that the places of honor at the
meeting belong, of right, to the clergy, and that the lay
President does no more than direct the arrangement of
the meeting. It is to their lordships the bishops, when
they are so good as to come among U5, or to the priests
whom they select as their substitutes, that the first places,
above the lay Council, belong. This i& a testimony,. a very
trifling, but a very legitimate one, which Christians owe
to the ministers of God, and which should never be for-
gotten. — (See the Circular of May 31st, 1846, page 252 oi
the Manual.)

52. — After tlie collection and usual prayers,
the meeting closes.

CHAPTER V.

THE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY.

53. — ^Besides its active members, the Society
has corresponding members, honorary members,
and subscribers.

Another category of members has, for many years past,
been added to those stated in the Rule : this is that of the
Aspirant Members. These members are chosen among
young men under eighteen years of age ; sometimes they
are joined to ordinary Conferences, wliose labors they
tfike part in under the direction of the elder members;

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 65

sometimes they are sufficiently numerous to be organized
into Special Conferences, either in Catechism classes for
adults (Catechismes de perseverance), or in Christian Col-
leges or Seminaries. This institution, whatever may be
the mode adopted, is very valuable ; besides that it gives
useful auxiliaries to the Conferences, and provides for re-
cruiting them among young people growing up, it trains
the young to the spirit of charity and of zeal, and suggests
to them the very natural desire of becoming active mem-
bers of Conferences when they shall have arrived at the
age to do so. The Brief of January 10th, 1845, makes
aspirant members participators in the Indulgences of the
Society, and the Council-General has published a special
instruction for the Conferences of Colleges and Institu-
tions. — (See the Bulletin for May, 1853, page 132, and
the following pages.)

54:, — ^A member changing his residence and
going to a place where there is no Conference of
Saint Vincent de Paul, does not thereby cease to
belong to the Society; — he becomes a Corre-
spondiiig 3f ember ,* he puts himself in communi-
cation with the Conference or Conferences of
the town of his diocese nearest to his residence,
and corresponds with the Secretary of the
Council or of the Conference of that town.
Should there be no Conference in his diocese, he
corresponds with the Secretary-General.

The Circular of November 1st, 1849, comments upon
this article as follows (page 333 of the Manual) :

" It is time to turn this article, hitherto a dead letter, so
to speak, into actual practice. But the great difficulty
consists in drawing closely together the relations between
the corresponding members and the Conferences, and in
giving something to do to these members as well as to the
Conferences, in order to keep up the relations once they
have been opened. Now, if every isolated member com-
municated, as the Bule points out, with the Conference of

66 EXPLANATORY N0T3S

his diocese (or, in countnes where that organization e
with the Upper or the Central Council), if he wer
ceived in the capacity of corresponding mernber^ if he
his offering to it regularly, and received in returi
funds necessary for succoring^ in the name of the Go
eri'Ce^ the poor of the locality where he is living;
transmitted, at certain periods, a report upon the fai
— upon their moral and material condition — much a(
tage would result from it to all parties ; in the first ]
to the corresponding members, who, in this organize
would recover the incentive of association, of which
were deprived, and in this way would escape fron
isolation in which they were in regard to the Societ
the Conferences in the neighborhood, who would hav
germ of a body of devoted members ready to dispc
through the country lottery-tickets and collection <
lars, to circulate reports, almanacs, and good book
the entire Society, which, by becoming better kr
would spread itself more easily in a great number of
towns, of extensive hamlets, and even of villages ; in
to the poor in the country, who would receive som
ditional succor, and, what is more important, would o
some more ]:ersons to serve them.

" If this plan be not adopted, there is a more simph
of arriving at the same end, but a less perfect one,
seems to me. You have doubtless remarked, Sir anc
Brother, in the Brief of January 10th, 1845, a very str
ai<rangement : the permission accorded to isolated i
bers of gaining the Indulgences granted to Confere
upon the condition of accomplishing, so far as in
power, the ordinary works of the Society. Each one
is stimulated to devote himself to the task ; the con
Father of the faithful invites us to it, urges us himsi
it, and points out to us the way. Now, if every isc
member, during the leisure of the Vacation, followec
valuable direction, liow much good there would resu
himself, and for the poor who were about him ! L
multiply-only by two poor people who had received a
ance, the number of our brothers who, every year,
us to settle themselves in the country, or who spend
some months, even some weeks, and we shall be sury
at the bleseed harvest 7,'}:1:L Iw Vtm be given us to g
in."

• f^

ON THE GENERAL RULE. bV

He receives every year a report on tlie works
of the Society, and maintains with it a cominii
nion both of prayers and good works, by doing
whatever works of charity he can, and by ad-
vancing the interests of the Society whenever
he has an opportunity.

"In a word, is it desired, Sir and dear Brother, that
these works, isolated indeed, but which, if my appeal were
heard, would not be without their importance, should
propagate and last ? One precaution is necessary, namely,
to maintain between the Society and the corresponding
members, constant relations, such as Article 54 of the
Rule points out. The Bulletin of the Society, moreover,
affords greater facilities for these relations now than at the
commencement of our Conferences ; following each of us
into his own home, it comes at certain and frequent peri-
ods to point out the progress of Conferences, to indicate to
us the dangers to shun, the examples to follow, and thus
it may contribute to connect with our charitable proceed-
ings the members whom distance separates from us.

" The hope of seeing these members become the most
assiduous readers of it, has even been one of the motives
to make us undertake this laborious work."

55. — Honorary Members do not assist at the
ordinary meetings of the Conferences. They
are invited, like the ordinary members, to all
other meetings. Tliey are to send every year a
special contribution to the Treasurer of the
Council or Conference of their town.

As a general rule, the honorary members do not assist
at the ordinary meetings of the Conferences; for there
would then be cause to ask ourselves why they, taking
part in the weekly meetings, should withdraw themselves
from the labors of their brothers ; yet, whenever they de-
sire to assist at the meetings, it has never been in the spirit
of the Society to refuse them admission, since then there
is room to hope that they will gain a taste for our works

65 EXPLANATORY K0TE8

and will wish to devote themselves to them. But, on the
one hand, this cannot he the general rule, and on the
other, it is to he remarked that whenever they are admit-
ted to the ordinary meetings, they are not to have a de-
liherative voice. To act otherwise would often he to
leave the decision of questions of grave interest to the
Conferences, to persons who are not so versed in all their
details, as to possess the spirit of them so well as the ac-
tive members.

But, if the presence of honorary members at the ordi-
nary meetings of the Conferences be not the Kule, on the
contrary their being summoned, as well to the general
meetings as to the Masses and pious ceremonies of the
Conferences, such as sermons, retreats, etc., is decidedly
the rule.

Differently from the active members, who bestow their
donations upon their Conferences under the form of secret
collections, honorary members are obliged, by force of cir-
cumstances, to transmit their offerings in the form of fixed
subscriptions. The Rule does not state that their subscrip-
tion should be the same for every one, nor do the Briefs
of Indulgences bear this meaning.

In the towns where there is a Particular Council, the
Rule decides that the offering of the honorary members
should be handed over to that Council. This is a mode of
creating funds for it, and thence establishing among the
Conferences a sort of equality for the distribution of aid,
notwithstanding the inequality of misery.

The forms of admission are the same for ordi-
nary and honorary members ; when several
Conferences are established in a town, honorary
members are admitted by the Particular Coun-
cil.

This point is of very great importance, and unfortunate-
ly it is very little observed : at one time honorary mem-
bers are confounded with subscribers, and no more is re-
quired of them than an alms, more or less large, without
any consideration being given to their religious habits ; at
another time the denomination of "honorary" is given to
active members who have been a long time without com-

ON THE GENERAL RULE. 69

ing to the Conference, and yet whose names there is some
hesitation about erasing. Sometimes even ladies have
been enrolled as honorary membei's. All these customs
are contrary to the Rule, and ought to be entirely laid
aside ; for the honorary members are actually members of
the Society^ according to the terms of the Rule. When
they wish to become active members, it is very difficult
as a matter of fact, if not perhaps as a matter of right, to
refuse it to them ; they assist at the feasts, at the Masses,
at the general meetings of the Conferences ; they are en-
titled to very extensive Indulgences ; whence the conse-
quence is, that to be admitted, they ought to be within the
conditions which the Society imposes on its active mem-
bers ; otherwise there would be too great a difference be-
tween those two categories of members ; and if the one
were practical Christians, and the others persons who give
little attention to things of a religious character, would
there not be reason to fear that in the end the spirit of the
Conferences would grow cold as a result of this very dis-
similarity, and of the perhaps too great deference which
che active members might wish to show towards the
honorary members ?

Besides the honorary members, there is another cate-
gory of members which the Rule does not mention, but
which the Circular of May 31st, 1846 {Manual^ page 232),
informs us of under the name of members of honor (mem-
lyres d^honneur) : they are the clergy who desire to honor
the Conferences by the insertion of their names upon our
roll, and whom it seems to be much more respectful to
designate under the title of members of honor {membres^
d^honneur\ than under that of honorary members,

56. — ^Every Conference may have, moreover,
simple subscribers — ^these are not members of
the Society, but are entitled as benefactors to its
prayers.

This article diminishes the last objections which might
i*emain against the decision of the preceding article up^n
the conditions required for honorary members; for it
points out the modes of making useful to the poor the
generosity of those persons, men or women, who ^ li to
bestow their liims upon the Conferences, and who, «

*!0 EXPLANATORY NOTES

because they Co not fulfil the religious conditions, or by
reason of their sex, cannot, according to the Rule, be ad-
mitted as honorary members. Subscribers, not being
members of the Society, can be received from among per-
sons of every religious opinion, and this latitude cannot
lead to any inconvenience.

Many Conferences turn to use, in a way which is very
profitable to the poor, the zeal of lady-benefactresses,
either as collectors, or for the wardrobe, or the employ-
ment of the poor, or for some works with which the Con-
ferences cannot engage themselves in a direct manner.
Such zeal deserves to be imitated.

CHAPTER VI.

THE FESTIVALS OF THE SOCIETY,

57. — ^Tlie Society celebrates the Feast of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
and the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, its patron.
Tlie Conferences assist in a body at Mass, on the
8th of December and 19th of July, and also on
the anniversary of the translation of the relics of
St. Vincent de Paul.

According to the Brief of January 10th, 1845, the festi-
vals should be celebrated on the very day of the Immacu-
late Conception of the Blessed Virgin, the 8th of Decem-
ber, and on that of the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, the
19th of July. If the day were changed, the Indulgences
could no longer be obtained. As actual diflSculties often
arose, as to Conferences, and particularly those in the
country, fulfilling these conditions, the result unhappily
was that a great number of Conferences were deprived of
the Indulgences which the Common Father of the Faith-
ful has dispensed to us with so great liberality. To rem-

ON THE GENERAL RULE, 11

©dy this inconvenience, the Council-General hm solicited
of the Sovereign Pontiff a modification of the Brief of the
10th of January, 1845, and the extension of these precious
favors, which it has obtairfed by a third Brief, bearing
date the 18th of March, 1853, is as follows:

1st. The Plenary Indulgences granted by the Brief of
the 10th of January, 1845, for the 8th of December, can
be obtained at the Masses specially .celebrated for the So-
ciety, either on the very day of the Feast of the Immacu*
late Conception, or on the day to which it is transferred in
the diocese.

2d. The Plenary Indulgence granted by the Brief of
the 10th of January, 1845, for the Feast of St. Vincent de
Paul, can be obtained, either on the 19th of July, or dur-
ing the seven days which follow it.

3d. At Paris, the Indulgence for the Feast of St. Yin-
cent de Paul can be obtained at the Masses of the Laza-
rist Fathers, even if it be not celebrated for the Society.

On these days the members pray for the pros-
perity of the Catholic Church, for the increase
of charity among men, and to draw down the
blessings of God on the work in which they are
associated. Should any member be absent from
the locality, or otherwise prevented from attend-
ing, he assists in spirit at least with his brethren,
and prays for them as they pray for him.

The observance of the festivals of the Society is one of
the obligations with which we ought to be most deeply
impressed. How, in fact, can the members of Conferences
hope to see their labors prosper, if they do not go to be.
seech God to bless them, and what more powerful means
of obtaining this blessing is there, than to ask it all in
common, united by the same prayer and the same faith, at
the foot of the same altars? Besides, how is it possible to
make up for the union of hearts, which is the result of
these pious practices and one of their most precious re
suits ? "Without the festivals of the Society, the ties whicii
mutually bind the Conferences together would be very
quickly loosened, and the material means which have been

72 EXPLANATORY NOTES, ETC.

pointed out many times already would soon become use*
less for the want of spiritual means, those blessed by the
Church. It is, tlierefore, of the very highest importance
that every Conference, and tliat in every Conference every
member, observe the four festivals of the Society as scru-
pulously as is possible ; for we are not afraid of asserting
that a member, however zealous, however Christian-like
he may in other respects be, does not possess the true
spirit of the Society, if he voluntarily neglect to observe
its feasts, and that a Conference which falls into this
danger sees in a short time the spirit of St. Vincent de
Paul grow weaker, and become extinct within it.

58. — ^The day after the general rneeting in
Lent, all the members of the Society assist in a
body at the Requiem Mass, which is offered in
the town for the repose of the souls of the de-
ceased members of the Society.

The religious care of the dead is one of the conditions
of the existence of a lasting work, and in Christianity itis
so rigorous a duty, that to omit it is in some sort to fail
in one of the principal obligations of the Christian life.
Accordingly the Rule has expressly recommended it; and
accordingly the usage has since been established, over and
above, of reciting during the meeting of the Conference,
the De profundis for the members lately deceased, and of
having Mass celebrated for the repose of their souls.
Some Conferences, not content with the anniversary of
the first Monday in Lent, add to it that of the Commem-
oration of the dead. The Brief of the 10th of January,
1845, recompenses by a special Indulgence the act k/
assisting at Masses for the deceased members.

OBSERVATION.

59. — ^N^one of the preceding rules impose an
obligation of conscience, but the Society relies
for their fulfilment on the zeal of its members,
and their love of God and their neighbors.

REGULATIONS

FOR THE

UPPER COUNCILS.

(Extract from the Bulletin of the 1st of May, 1850.)

^ OK many years the really providential spread of the So-
Ok^iy LjIS, in the countries situated outside France, ren-
de/fed na institution necessary which our first rules did not
anticipate, namely, that of Councils charged with the
direction of the Conferences of an entire country, and con-
stituted as intermediate between the Council-General, the
centre of all the Society, and the Conferences separated
from it by distance, language, and local customs.

This institution, self-begotten, so to speak, has become
happily extended, and has contributed, by its develop-
ment, to the progress of our work in foreign countries,
where otherwise it would have penetrated with diflSculty,
and where particularly it would have sustained itself with
still greater difficulty. In their turn, England, Ireland,
Belgium, Holland, Rhenish Prussia, Silesia, Mexico, Can-
ada, have seen such Councils established within their
bosom ; and as a result of this organization, the Confer-
ences of these different countries have been formed with
greater facility in a common spirit, and have been multi-
plied in a more rapid manner. Experience was then con-
clusive, and the moment was come for incorporating into
our written rules a collection of regulations applicable to
these Councils: these form arrangements which, without
infringing upon usages already venerable in some portions
of the Society, and confirmed moreover by the Council-
General, without being even a code, invariable and abso-
lute for the future, yet may serve as a guide and as a model
for Councils as they are successively formed.

With this idea the Council-General Las drawn up a
•eries of artioler in addition to the Rule ; but before ado

14 REGULATIONS FOR THE

ing them in a definitive manner, it desired to receive in-
formation from the good advice of the Councils of Europe,
that is to say, of those which time and distance allowed it
to consult. This advice did not fail the Council-General,
to whom it has heen most valuahle ; it has most certainly
contributed to improve so important a Rule.

The regulations which we are about to explain briefly,
and the text of which we give further on, form a summary
of the local usages, and of the chapters of the General
Rule relative to Particular Councils and to the Council-
General itself. These Councils are, in fact, intermediate
between the Particular Councils of a town, charged with
the interests of Conferences of a city, and the Council-
General, charged with the direction of all the Conferences.
Their functions, as their nature, ought then to possess
something mutual, and this idea has been uppermost in
the preparation of the rules respecting them.

At the very commencement, a primary question arose,
as to the name to be given to these Councils. Should
they be designated in the Rule, under the title of Provin-
cial Councils, as the two Briefs of the 10th of February
and 12th of August, 1845, had done? Powerful reasons
weighed in favor of this expression, one already old among
us, and accepted by most of the Councils ; but the appre-
hension which was manifested, that in many countries it
would awaken national susceptibilities dangerous to the
Society, has induced us to adopt a new denomination —
that of Upper Councils.

The circumscription of the Upper Councils, and the lo-
cation of their seat, are points which the first Article ot
this Rule hands over to the Council-General, by virtue of
the delegation which it makes to them of a part of its
own rights. It is the practice, converted purely and sim-
ply into a written rule.

The 8d Article treats of an important question, that of
the constitution itself of the Upper Council. After having
well considered it, and weighed the different opinions ex-
pressed, it has been judged preferable to summon all the
Conferences (whom the Upper Council is to unite) to co-
operate in its formation, in order thereby to make its
authority greater. This co-operation may take place,
either by means of delegates, chosen in equal numbers by
each Conference, or by means of correspondence, accord-

UPPER COUNCILS. ^5

!ng to local circumstances ; and finally, it is suflScient for
the validity of the constitution of the Council, that all the
Conferences should be summoned to take part in it: it is
not necessary that they should actually have done so, if
they neglect to reply to the Convocation. To establish
greater order, the election should be directed by the Par-
ticular Council established in the town where the Upper
Council is to have its seat, or by the Conference of that
town, if a Particular Council is not as yet in existence.

The 4th Article reproduces for the nomination of the
President of the Upper Council, a mode which is analogous
to that adopted for the nomination of the President-
General, and which experience has shown the advantages
of. But the delay of two months is reduced to one month,
as the circumscription is less extended.

The 8th Article anticipates the case where there are in
the same town an Upper Council and a Particular Coun-
cil. In such a case it is decided that the presidentship of
the Particular Council belongs of right to the President of
the Upper Council ; but the latter may delegate it if he
believe it necessary. This point has been already settled
by the General Rule as to Paris, where both the Council
Gfeneral and the Particular Council of the town assemble,
and it has been sanctioned by fifteen years' experience. It
has, then, appeared to be useful to extend it here to the
cases in which multiplicity of affairs, or any other reason,
would prevent, as in many towns, the functions of the
Particular Council being intrusted to the Upper Council.

The 10th Article aflSrms the unvarying judicial powers
of the Council-General, relative to the admission of Con-
ferences into our Society. It is for the Council-General
to pronounce upon their aggregation, having, however,
taken the advice of the Upper Councils.

This mode, while preserving the common spirit — the
unity which is indispensable— associates the Local Councils
in the development of our charitable family; it provides
against the diversity of regulations — ^it consolidates our
little, our wholly fraternal plan of government, while
preventing the admission, without cause shown, of new
Conferences who come to ask the rights of fellowship
among us.

These l.appy relations of fraternity and of union are
still more closely cemented by the 12th Article, which, by

96 REGULATIONS FOR THE

summoning the Presidents of Upper Councils into the
bosom of the Council-General, by giving them the right
to take their places there, when they are at Paris, by sug-
gesting that when they are absent, their advice upon grave
questions by means of written communications, be taken,
assures thus to the whole Society the concurrence of their
intelligence, their devotion, and of their charity. The
first trial, which has been made of it in anticipation in
the drawing up of the present Rule, has already sufficiently
proved it in the eyes of the Council-Greneral.

Let us conclude by two observations :

1st. The articles which are about to be perused form
henceforth part of the General Rule ; they have been in-
serted in it ; but it has appeared preferable not to blend
them into the body of the Rule itself, and not to derange
the order, now an old one, of the articles; to touch it,
would have been to introduce disagreeable confusion, and
to alter in some degree a record venerated in our Society,
since it is almost contemporaneous with its foundation.
Moreover, the authority of these new arrangements will
not, on this account, be less in the eyes of our Conferences
and of all our brothers.

2d. The present Rule is applicable to Councils now ex-
isting abroad, whose mission it is to direct the Confer-
ences belonging to distinct nations. But it is not, and it
has not been, an obstacle to the formation of Councils of
a more limited circumscription, which have become, and
are daily becoming, more necessary for binding closely to-
gether among themselves the Conferences which are situ-
ated near one another. Far from it : it is for such Confer-
ences a model and a basis for organization.

The following, then, is the text of this Rule, adopted by
the Council-General at its meeting of the 1st of April,
1850:

Art. 1. — When the Conferences of a more ex-
tensive circumscription than that of a Particular
Council, desire to be united by a Council, an
Upper Council may be constituted for this pur-
pose, conformably to the terms of the Brief of
our Holy Father, Pope Gregory XVI., dated

/ UPPER COUNCILS. *77

January the 10th, 1845. This Council is named
after the circumscription for which it is estab-
lished, and which is determined by the Coun-
cil-General; its seat is fixed by the Council-
General.

This Council, within its circumscription, is the
representative of the General Council, which
forms the centre of the whole Brotherhood, and
it governs all the Councils and Conferences al-
ready established, or which may be established
there. Its object is to preserve the unity and
spirit of the Brotherhood there ; it forms the nat-
ural and usual link of correspondence between
the Councils and Conferences with the General
Council.

2. — ^The Upper Council consists of a President,
of one or more Vice-Presidents, of a Secretary, a
Treasurer, one or several Vice-Secretaries, a Vice-
Treasurer, and of several Councillors.

3. — ^When the President is to be named for the
first time, all the Conferences of the circumscrip-
tion are invited to assist in doing so. The elec-
tion shall take place under the superintendence
of the Conference or Council belonging to the
town wherein the Upper Council is to be estab-
lished.

4. — ^When a new President is to be named,
the Vice-President assembles the Council. This
preparatory sitting is devoted to deliberation as
to who may be an eligible person for this office.

If the former President be still alive, he is in-

78 REGULATIONS FOR THE

vited to designate the person wlioin he woxild
deem it of advantage to select.

When the members have come to an under-
standing upon one or several names, the meeting
adjourns for a month : during the interval the
proceedings of this prepai'atory meeting are
made known to the Presidents of the Particular
Councils, who consult their colleagues, and to the
Presidents of the Conferences, who consult their
respective Councils, or even the Conferences
over which they preside; all the Presidents
transmit their opinions to the Council, and ac-
cording to these opinions the Council makes the
election ; an exact minute of which is recorded

While the election is pending, all the mem-
bers of the circumscription address, either in
private or at the meetings, a special prayer to
God, such as the Veni Creator^ in order that His
Spirit may guide them throughout the intendea
election.

5. — ^The members of the Upper Council are
named, as well of those of the Board, by the
President, with the advice of the Council.

6. — ^The President presides over the Upper
Council, and over the general meetings of the
Conferences of the town where it is established.
He convenes extraordinary meetings. In case
of absence, his place is supplied by the Vice-
President, or even, if necessary, by any other
member of the Coimcil.

7. — ^The Secretary keeps an account of the

UPPER COUNCILS. 79

names, Christian names, professions, residences,
and dates of reception of the different members
of the Conferences belonging to the town where
the Upper Council holds its sittings. He also
notes down the persons who form the Boards ol
the Councils, or of the Conferences of the cir-
cumscription, as well as the places where, and
days and hours when, they hold their sittings.

He draws up the minutes of the sittings held
by the Council and general meetings ; prepares
the annual report upon the works of the Con-
ferences of the circumscription, and transmits it
to the General Council. He is intrusted, under
the superintendence of the President, with the
general correspondence that is kept up with the
Presidents and Secretaries of the Councils and
Conferences, as well as with the General Council.
He has the custody of the records of the Society
in that circumscription.

The Treasurer has the care of the funds. He
keeps aa exact account of the receipts and
expenditure; he submits his accounts to the
Council.

8. — ^In case the Upper Council does not fulfil,
for the local Conferences, the office of a Particu*
lar Council, the presidency of the latter devolves
by right on the President of the Upper Council,
who names the Presidents and Vice-Presidents
of the Conferences and Special Works, as also
the Board of the Particular Council.

In case of any impediment, his presidency

60 KEOXTLATIOlirS FOR THE

over the Particular Council is supplied by a mem-
ber of the Upper Council, whom he delegates for
that purpose.

9. — ^The funds of the Council are maintained
by extraordinary donations made to the Society,
by collections at the General Meetings of the
town in which it is established, and by the con-
tributions which are annually sent by each Con-
ference, or by each Council of the circumscrip-
tion, towards the general expenses.

10. — When a Conference or Particular Coun-
cil is about to be formed in the circumscription,
the Upper Council examines how far it may be
proper to propose its aggregation to the General
Council. This aggregation can never take place
but with the previous advice of the Upper
Council.

It likewise refers to the General Council, when
it is deemed necessary to dissolve any particular
Conference or Council. In a case of urgency, it
may temporarily suspend the sittings, and refer
the matter to the General Council.

11. — ^The Upper Council governs all the prac-
tical details of the Conferences in the circum-
scription, either through the medium of corre-
spondence or of circulars from the President, and
watches over the observance of the Rules, re-
serving, however, to the General Council weighty
questions, and such as may concern the welfare
of the Society at large.

12.— The Presidents of the Upper Councils,

UPPER COUNCILS. 81

when present in Paris, attend at and take part
in the sittings of the General Council, of which
they are members, as long as they continue to
fill the same office.

The General Council may ask for their opinion
in writing upon such matters as interest the
whole Brotherhood.

INDEX.

Accounts of Conferences should be verified yearly, 2S.

Admission of Candidates, how to be announced, 27.

Adoption of fieanilies, for relief, 86, 87.

Aggregation, how to be solicited, 11 ; necessary for participa-
tion in the Indulgences, 12 ; powers of Upper Councils as
to, 76, 80.

Aspirant Members, 64.

Benefactresses, ladies may be, 8.

Books for persons relieved, 25, 35.

Candidates for admission as Members, 27-80.

Certificates of Membership, as to, 81.

Charity, no work of, foreign to the Society, 9, 10.

Clergy, preside at General Meetings, 63 ; are members ol
honor (membrea Shonneur)^ 69.

i}lothing for the poor, 25 ; grants of, 85.

Collections, at the meetings of Conferences, 40 ; purpose of, 41.

Conferences, intended for men only, 7 ; aim of, is zeal for the
salvation of souls, 8 ; what, 11 ; how admitted to aggrega-
tion, 11, 80 ; powers of Upper Councils relative to admission
of, into the Society, 75 ; how named, id, ; united by a Coun-
cil-General, 12 ; meetings of, 14 ; should correspond with
each other, 15, 16 ; should give attention to soldiers, 17 ;
organization of, id. ; Council of, how constituted, id. ; ofii-
cers of, how nominated, 18, 19 ; duties of President, 21 ;
when President of Upper Council has power to name Presi-
dent, 79 ; duties of Secretary, 22 ; of Treasurer, 24 ; of li-
brarian, 25 ; funds of, 24, 31 ; wardrobe of, 25 ; prayers at,
26 ; relief tickets, how distributed, 82 ; deliberations of, oa
plans for relief of the distressed, 86 ; members leaving, 88 ;
tpedal tDorJes, reports of, when to be read, 40 ; collection,
when made, id. ; when several established in same town, 43 ;
how represented in Particular Council, 51 ; poorer Confer-
ences, how assisted by Particular Council, 47 ; by Council-
General, 54 ; General Meetings of, 59 ; may have subscribers,
69 ; contributions of, to Upper Councils, 80 ; dissolution or
fospension of, id. ; corresponding members, 64-67.

84 INDEX,

Councils, 11, 12 ; Council of a Conference, 18 ; who to prestds
in, 68 ; contributions of, to Upper Councils, 80 ; see fdso
Farticular OouncUj Upper Council,

Council-General, 52 ; how composed, id. ; functions of, id. ;
funds of, 53, 54 ; members of, 55 ; President of, 56, 57 ;
Secretary-General, 57 ; Treasurer- General, 58 ; Presidents
of Upper Councils are members of, 81 ; may ask for their
opinion in ¥rriting, 81.

Death of the poor visited, should be announced to the Confer
ence, 84.

Deceased members. Mass for, 72.

Dissolution or suspension of Conferences, 80.

Drunkards, as to visiting, 37.

Ecclesiastics, to be received in Conferences with the utmost
gratification, 21 ; see also Clergy.

Females, any work relating to, not to be undertaken, 10;
young women not to be visited, 37.

Festivals of the Society, 70-72.

Funds, how to be procured, 42 ; of Particular Coundls, 48 ;
of Council-General, 53 ; of Upper Councils, 80.

General Meetings, 59 ; when held, 60 ; extraordinary, 61 ;
open with prayers, id. ; business of, 61-64 ; presidency of, 68.

Honorary members, 64-68 ; admission of, 68.

Indulgences, ladies may participate in, 8 ; Conferences par-
ticipate in, upon aggregation, 12 ; plenary, may be gained
by each member on day of admission, 31 ; at the four Fes-
tivals of the Society, 59, 70 ; by corresponding members, 66.

Ladies, the works of, cannot be aggregated to the Society, 8 ;
can become benefactresses and participate in the Indul-
gences, id. ; not to be invited to General Meetings, 60.

lAymen, presidentship of Conferences conferred upon, 21. .

Librarian, duties of, 25.

Meetings of Conferences, 14 ; of Councils of Conferences should
be frequent, 18 ; order of, 26-28 ; collection at, 40 ; closing
prayers, 43 ; General Meetings, 59.

Members, who may be, 7 ; must be Christians, 8 ; not expe-
dient to admit persons who are not above want, 9 ; admis-
sion of, how to be announced, 27 ; new candidates, 28 ;
may obtain Plenary Indulgence on day of admission, 31 ;
members receiving money must take especial care to watch
over use made thereof, 36 ; leaving place where Conference
is, to give notice to President, 38 ; do not cease to be mem-
bers, 65 ; to report on state of their poor, 39. The different
members of the Society, 64 ; deceased, Requiem Mass for, 72 *
of Upper Councils, 77.

Money, grants of, 35.

Officers net to be multiplied, 46 ; of Upper Councils, 77.

INDEX. 88

Order of the meetings, 26, d seg.

Organization of the Society, 12.

Particular Councils, 43 ; composition of, 45 ; functions of, 46 ;
funds of, 47 ; council of, 49 ; nomination of officers, tdf. ;
duties of President, 50 ; Presidency, how supplied in case of
impediment, 80 ; duties of Secretary, 51 ; of Treasurer, id, ;
Conferences, how represented on, ii. ; Honorary Members
make offerings to, 67 ; admit Honorary Members, 68.

Poor families, visiting, the special object of the Society, 10 ;
should be visited weekly, 16 ; when and how to be recom-
mended by one Conference to another, id. ; library for, 25 ;
clothes for, id. ; relief to, how given, 32 ; classification of,
to be intrusted to a Committee of Inquiry, 33 ; death oif
poor person in receipt of relief should be announced, 84 ;
deliberation of Conference, as to relief of, 35 ; adoption of,
86 ; only such as live in reputable houses to be adopted, 37 ;
in adopting cases, regard to be had to the number of visit-
ors, id.

Prayer at the meetings, an essential portion of the business^
26 ; to close meetings, 43 ; General Meetings open with,
61.

President of a Conference, how elected, 18 ; elected for an in-
definite period, 19 ; when nominated by President of a Par-
ticular Council, 20 ; when named by President of Upper
Council, 79 ; qualities he should possess, 21 ; laymen, id. ;
duties of, 21, 22 ; as to candidates for admission as mem-
bers, 27--30 ; should allot visitors, 38 ; duties, with regard
to visitors, id. ; as to members leaving, id. ; report at Gen-
eral Meetings, 62, 63.

President of a Particular Council nominates Presidents of Con-
ferences, when, 20 ; how appointed, 49 ; duties of, 50.

Presidents of Upper Coimcils, 75 ; how named, 77 ; duties of,
78 ; are members of Council-General, 80.

President-General, nomination of, 56 ; duties of, 49, 60.

Presidents empowered to call extraordinary General Meet-
ings, 61.

Proceedings should be simple, 28.

Becommendation of young men, of the poor, of workmen, 16.

Begulations for the Upper Councils, 73.

Belief, how given, 32 ; when in money, clothes, or books, 35 ;
in kind, the rule, — a grant of money, the exception, id.

Bules, do not impose an obligation of conscience, 72 ; appli«
cable to Councils abroad, 76.

Scandal, the appearance of, to be avoided, 37.

Secretary of a Conference, duties of, 22-27, 65 ; Secretary of a
Pkurticular Council, duties of, 51, 65 ; at General Me

86 INDEX.

62 ; Secretary-General, duties of, 57, 65 ; Yice-Secretariet,
58 ; Secretary of an Upper Council, duties of, 78.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul, special object of, to yisit poor
families, 9 ; organization of, 12 ; aim of, 85 ; the different
Members of, 64.

Soldiers, should be objects of attention, 17.

Special Works, reports of, 40 ; Presidents and Vice-Presidenta
of, members of Particular Council, 45, 51 ; what are, 45.

Subscribers, 64, 69.

Treasurer, duties of, 24, 81 ; to make collection at Conferences,
40 ; of Particular Council, 51 ; of Council-General, 58 ; of
Upper Council, 79.

Universality of the Society, 9.

Upper Councils, regulations for, 73 ; what, 74, 75 ; constitu-
tion of, 74 ; nomination of President, 75 ; President, how
named, 77 ; powers of President of, as to nomination of
Presidents of Conferences, 79 ; represents CouncU-Gener^
id, ; consists of, 77 ; Members of, how named, 78 ; Secretary
of, id. ; funds, 79 ; governs details of Conferences in its
circumscription, 80 ; Presidents of, are members of Upper
Councils, id,

Vice-President, to stand in the place of the President during
his absence, 22.

Visiting poor families, the special object of the Society, 10 ; in,
the appearance of scandal to be avoided, 87.

Visiting Committee, 88.

Visitors, relations of, towards the poor, 35 ; to be allotted by
the President, 88.

Visits should be made weekly, 15, 84.

Women, works relating to, not to be undertaken, 10 ; when
young, not to be visited, 87.

Workmen, to receive recommendation, when, 17.

Works, of the Society, 9 ; for the pious reading at the Con-
ferences, 26.

!roung men, the Society founded by and for them, 7 ; to bt
recommended by one Conference to another, 15, 16.

60 RSeTTLATTOirB FOK THE

over the Particular Council is supplied by a mem-
ber of the Upper Council, whom he delegates for
that purpose.

9. — ^The funds of the Council are maintained
by extraordinary donations made to the Society,
by collections at the General Meetings of the
town in which it is established, and by the con-
tributions which are annually sent by each Oon^
ference, or by each Council of the circumscrip-
tion, towards the general expenses.

12. — ^The Presidents of the Upper Councils,

UPPBR COUNCILS. 81

«7heii present in Paris, attend at and take part
in the sittings of the General Council, of which
they are members, as long as they continue to
fill the same office.

The General Council may ask for their opinion
in writing upon such matters as interest the
whole Brotherhood,

3 2044 046 686 648

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